From Dreams to Nightmares
by StarLove18
Summary: No parents. No chance of 'rescue'. No rules. It's any kid's dream... until IT strikes! Now with the illusions of safety and freedom gone, these stranded boys and girls must battle insanity to unite before the chaos consumes them.
1. The New Life

_Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and settings. They're the property of William Golding. I own the rest._

_Warnings: Coarse language, violence and mild suggestive themes._

* * *

_Intro_

_One day, a mass group of schoolgirls from the United States were going to Brazil. Even though they knew that this was due to the start World War 2, they were all excited and psyched nonetheless. As they boarded it, they said their sad goodbyes to their parents and relatives. At least they'll be safe from all the trouble out there._

_Or so they thought..._

_Even though there were several passengers on it, they were in the middle of eating, reading, sleeping, or even watching a movie. Not one of them were aware of what would take place. Then..._

_The right wing was caught on fire. The lights were flickering and the plane was heading downwards. Down, down, down it fell._

_The very last thing that the girls can recall was getting their parachutes on and following the captain's safety procedures. Since the plane was caught on fire, they'd have to jump out before it crashes. They were very scared, but they had no other choice._

_Now they found themselves washed up on an island. They spent the night among the bushes before attempting to search for other survivors. Little did they know a group of military schoolboys were close by._

-x-x-x-

(01) The New Life

Imagine leaving the ones you love and cherish.

Last goodbyes are depressing whenever unpredictable.

A group of kids found themselves on land, in an unfamiliar place. As they stared at the horizon they felt hopeless. The sky darkened in a candascense of purple, red, pink and orange; but they had no time to enjoy its beautiful colours. They stood on damp, white sand in their soaked shoes and sneakers. The hem of their pants dripped at their small feet as they kicked their shoes about. Eighteen disappointed young faces snorted, sobbed and scrunched as they came to a realization of their situation; they were lost. Stranded. Marooned. Heaven only knows whether or not they'll make it back home, and see their parents again.

In front of them, parachutes lay in a heap on the ground from where they've miraculously landed, safe from an unexpected, deadly plane crash. A flock of seagulls were seen flying from the tall, palm trees. The ocean roared angrily as its tidal waves taunted them. They had absolutely nothing to smile about. Their expressions were neutral at first; some turned to anger while others looked mortified. At this point they shivered since their navy blue school uniforms were dripping, drenched and damp.

An island is not the best place to be. Anything can be out there, ready to snatch their prey. Anyone could wait with devious tricks in mind. Hopefully that wasn't the case; they've assumed they were the only kids in a contorted place. None of their parents or friends would know. Maybe someone was looking for them, and they'll get rescued- somehow. This feeling of uncertainty was frightening.

Night has settled, and two bright lights flashed. Each of them fell asleep, all except three little boys. They held their own flashlights and told each other funny stories to brighten up the mood, hoping things won't go wrong.

One was a brown-eyed blond with curly hair, soft spoken and curiosity was read on his face, but he felt slightly scared and unsure. On the right, a black boy with cornrows looked everywhere, often pointing his flashlight in seperate directions in the dark. He was just as curious as his white buddy, but he kept his antennas up without growing tired, and stayed silent. At this point, his brown eyes shot in another direction. The boy in the middle was a contrast of the two; he had a caramel complexion and soft baby skin. His dark, short, straight buzz cut glowed in the light. Most people would call him mixed due to his features, but he had an attitude where no one knew who's side he was on. At this point, a smile crawled on those mischievous lips, fixing his features. His friends looked at him apprehensively.

"Do you think we're the only ones here?" asked the blond.

"Yeah, we gotta be the _only_ boys on this island," the dark boy replied.

"And to think, we're the very youngest," the boy in the middle added.

Before they could say anything more, a shriek was heard from a distance. The three little boys jumped up in fear, startled by the unknown- whatever it was.

"There must be other people," Tyrick said, as he ran his hand through his braids.

"Sounds like they're in trouble!" Rudy exclaimed. His smile grew wider.

"That's not funny," said Matt, his voice in an audible whisper. He pulled his blond, mini curls away from his eyes; it was still wet from the water earlier. "Let's get to sleep before we get in trouble."

They had no idea they were not alone.

-x-x-x-

The next day, the little boys told the older girls everything they've heard the previous night. The rest of them asked silly questions and discussed the possibility of survivors.

"Where are we?" Lexy asked for the tenth time.

"It's an island," Bosnia replied out of frustration as she rolled her eyes. "Gosh!"

"Maybe we should set up some kind of SOS," a girl named Mandy suggested. "That way, we won't be stuck here for long."

"How's that supposed to work when we haven't found any survivors from our plane yet?" Heather asked.

"We'll need fire," Mandy beamed. "Duh!"

Heather shook her head, annoyed by Mandy's cocky tendencies. She followed Brenda, Sherie and Bosnia into the jungle. The rest of them sat around and waited impatiently.

-x-x-x-

The older girl was Bosnia. She's thirteen and has dark hair that curled at the ends. She was the same height as the others despite their age difference. Her eyes were almond-shaped and her irises were black. The next three were all twelve years old.

Brenda was the shortest of the oldest set. Her skin was golden and it seemed to glow brightly in the sun. Sherie normally had an afro, but before she had arrived she was wearing extension braids that reached her mid-neck. Heather, on the other hand, was a brown-haired go-getter who had a tendency to be curious. The rest of the older girls were between ten and eleven, while the younger ones ranged from eight to nine years of age.

They were very short in stature as the ages gradually fell. As they trotted down the dirt path, passing through the creepers and following the pig run, they were in awe at the sight of everything.

The island was lush and beautiful in many colours and varieties. Scarlet pimpernels, lantanas, blue gems and calla lilies formed an entourage where the girls stood. The flirtatious whistles of robins were heard from the tops of tall, deciduous trees. The girls looked up and playfully whistled back as a ray of sunshine flowed through the leaves. On the ground a miniature army of ants marched in single file and broke apart. Heather took a little stick from nearby and traced lines on the damp ground. In five seconds the ants got back together and followed in its path. A smile formed on her lips. To her, this couldn't get any better.

Four sets of curious eyes kept looking as they walked deeper into the forest. They were easily fooled by a few other flowers to be food, such as a grape hyacinth and a single hydrangea. Their stomachs growled in frustration when they found out that they weren't grapes or blueberries. To make matters worse, as they were walking down the pigrun, two piglets ran into a bush.

Bosnia rubbed her belly, knowing that a good food source was present. The rest of the girls just stared, thinking about their own hunger. Thankfully, real fruits on a nearby tree caught the corner of Bosnia's eye and she made mention of it. Sherie followed her lead, but Heather and Brenda were more focused on strange set of "foolish" plants.

"Are those candle buds?" Heather asked, holding one up.

"I don't know if that's what they're called," Brenda replied, pushing her hair away from her eyes. "They kinda look like it."

"Maybe we should check to see if there's any drinkable water," said Sherie. "At least we know there's fruits and coconuts."

"And pigs," Bosnia added. "No one can survive without them."

"Pigs?" Sherie commented. "I wish there was chicken."

"I wish I was home," Brenda added. "I'd eat all the chicken I want."

"I wish this never happened," Heather said. "It still feels like a dream to me."

The realization that it did, indeed, feel more like a dream than something that had actually happened dawned on all of the girls at once.

Just yesterday they were on their way to Brazil when the plane crashed. It would take a while longer before they could finally find a way to adapt to this new lifestyle. Away from civilization, with no parents and teachers to guide them, things were bound to change.

The girls quickly shook off the thought and resumed exploring. They passed Castle Rock, which was huge. It had the looks of a fortress, even in its gray colour tones, and a few whitish-pink rocks lay in front of it. Tidal waves from the surrounding waters splashed against the boulders. As the water settled down, the boulders appeared to be glossy thanks to sunshine. A crow sat on top of a pointy rock, located at the very top, possibly the darkest shade of gray. It didn't seem to move, and as boastful as it looked, Bosnia had an idea.

"Let's have a rock throwing contest," she said, "and hit that bird!"

"Okay!" Brenda replied.

"Em, I know crows can be ugly," said Heather. "But why would you want to hit it? That's cruel!"

"I'd rather throw rocks at this fort rather than the crow itself," said Sherie. "It didn't do anything to us, so what's the sense?"

Brenda picked up a few rocks while Bosnia put her head down. Slowly.

"Hm, makes perfect sense... I guess."

The girls giggled as they picked up small rocks from the ground and tossed them in the direction of the castle. They competed versus each other and, as it turned out, Bosnia was the fastest.

"I have good aim," Bosnia said boastfully. "Better than the rest of you!"

Sherie shot her a competitive look, "Oh yeah!" She swung her arm when the rock she held flew in a totally different direction - through the forest! That was not what she intended. An expression of uncertainty and silliness was read on her face. "Oops!"

The others looked at her and chuckled.

"Maybe competition _wasn't _a smart idea after all," Bosnia said. "Let's keep looking where your rock went!"

As they went, the scar looked crumbled and narrow, and it was complicating for them to walk through. Brenda tripped over a few rocks and scarred her right leg, while Sherie came to realize the hem of her pants (near her black shoes) ripped. They've decided to stop running and took their time to get through. This utterly annoying part of the island was not favourable to them; but as soon as they've made it to the lagoon, it was the best vacation resort ever!

The water glittered beneath the sun, as little ripples traveled in the wind's direction. It's surrounding areas were lilies and tall grass. Rocks of different shapes and sizes were placed in front of the grass stems, forming a border between water and land. Flamingos and dragonflies, although they were very few, dominated this area; it brought an emotion that, well, promised these girls an adventure they'll never forget.

Within a split second, the girls ran freely through the forest, crashing through the bushes and scaring a few piglets while they were at it. Although they weren't aware of their actions, this was freedom. What looked like despair yesterday became something for the better. They can't wait to tell the others about this island. It's theirs without any adults!

Or so they thought. Their short-lived hopes died when, out of the blue, they've seen something quite contrary to their wishes...

A bunch of boys!

As feelings of despair paid them another visit, neither of them moved a single muscle as they feasted their eyes on the boys. They were in the middle of fishing, playing and sitting around. They didn't take notice of the four young ladies standing out in the open.

"I guess we're not the only ones here," Sherie concluded.

"We gotta go tell the others," Bosnia said.

They observed the entire area from where they stood. Shelters were built, coconuts were in place, and there was a tent occupied by someone sick. The sight of it made them shudder.

"What if one of us gets sick?" Heather asked with a hint of panic. "I mean, that little boy in the tent looks grossed out."

"Green to be exact," Brenda filled in. "There might be some medicinal herbs around. Besides, this _is_ an island."

"But what if there isn't?" Heather pointed out. "There's no way you can tell the difference of what's not poisonous. Besides, I don't think you know how to make medicine!"

Brenda was about to argue another point, but in order to avoid too much trouble she decided to let the matter drop.

"Well then. Let's go back and set up a camp of our own." With that, the girls went back to their starting point, feeling quite satisfied with their discoveries.

-x-x-x-

As soon as they made it back, the group got on their feet. Everyone made inquiries about survivors and what was out there. Bosnia quieted them down.

"Listen up!" she announced. "There's water to drink, a lagoon to take baths in, tons of fruits, pigs, trees for shade."

The group became giddy and psyched. Heather shushed them so that Bosnia could continue.

"You'll see them running along a path if you ever go in that direction." She pointed in its direction.

"We also found a mountain that's as pink as icing!" Sherie said, excitedly. "In fact, we're not the only ones here; there's already a signal fire. Someone else has set it up."

"Maybe it's Mr Jester," Gen chimed in. Many of the girls laughed before Sherie could speak up again. She waited for a while.

"What if Mrs Peccin survived the crash?" Trishina asked. "We could very well go home now without being trapped here."

"Yeah. There's no TV."

"Games to play with."

"Friends to hang out with."

"No more pedicures or hairstyles."

"No more 'girl' stuff!" Ashley complained. "Being far away from home is horrible!"

The only three boys in the girls' group were Ashley's little brother Matt and his two best friends, Rudy and Tyrick. The trio was short, smart and all were seven years of age. They snuck into their plane with the intent of going to Brazil to get away from the war. They thought they'd be forced to help fight with the other men. Now they collectively regretted it, but they didn't show what they felt. They already miss their parents and- wished the war never broke out. If it didn't, they wouldn't have had to end up in the situation that they were in.

"You know, we were on the same plane as you guys," said Matt. "But the only problem is, y'all are complaining about not having makeup and Barbie dolls and stuff."

"Only difference is we can live without GI-Joe and Nintendo for once," Rudy said. "If we can handle it, so can you."

The girls were silent, taking what the only boys in their group said into consideration. Life was bound to be different, for now. There was no doubting it.

"Well, anyways," said Sherie. "There's a group of boys on a beach nearby. They've already set up a camp and everything. Therefore we should build one of our own. And about the survivors, only eighteen of us made it alive. We haven't found anyone else from the plane we took."" All eyes seemed to be on her.

"I guess that means we're stranded," Gen said hopelessly.

"How long before we get rescued?" Lexy asked.

"I don't know."

The girls sighed heavily.

"Let's just go and see what we can do," Sherie said, as the kids gathered their things.

The afternoon sun guided the way for the group. They gathered wood, rocks and coconuts. Some of them went up the foliage, heading for the creepers.

-x-x-x-

A few hours later, the sound of snapping interrupted some of the boys playing in the sand.

"What's that?" Mikey asked, twisting his face.

"I don't know," said Tony.

"Maybe it's Roger making whips," Tex stated. "Besides, he's been acting weird lately."

The snapping continued. The three boys glanced at each other before getting up.

"Do you think we should check it out?" Tony asked as he brushed his hands.

"Yeah," Tex replied. "We'll be the first to see what it is."

As they headed their way into the forest, they met the twins on the way. The five of them continued to follow the sounds of snaps and whips. Seven minutes later, they stood near a deciduous tree and watched a group of girls work on shelters of their own. Tex hid behind Tony while Mikey followed suit.

"How'd they get here?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know," Tony said. "All I know is that they look like schoolgirls."

"Maybe they are," Eric said. "Why don't we approach them?"

The others backed up and shook their heads.

"They might have cooties," Mikey stated matter-of-factly.

"Good point. They might turn our uniforms pink," Tex added.

"If they ever raid our camp," Sam pointed out. "I'd be pissed. Like, real pissed!"

"That would be the worst nightmare I'd ever have," Tony said. "Besides, I don't think approaching them would be smart."

"Fine," Eric said, "let me do the job you freaks are scared of."

"You'll regret it," Sam warned him. "Trust me!"

Eric, who refused to listen, walked up towards Gen. As he approached, he found that he really didn't care what they thought. Although they assumed he was stupid for jumping into something regrettable, he didn't give a damn. If they went and told the younger ones in their group about him, they're the real idiots. Even his twin brother seemed to have something against him for once.

In the midst of it all, he really didn't care what they thought. He knew exactly how to deal with new people- well, not everybody. Often times he'd intentionally mistreat them if they didn't have the attitude. When Piggy first came to school, both him and his brother started calling the fat boy names, and circulated it throughout the entire school. What troublemakers they were back then!

The other boys, including his twin, showed no interest. They were already taken up with horrific thoughts of these girls ruining their fun, acting like mother figures. This island would've been theirs; if only the girls weren't here.

"Hey," he said in greeting, "sorry if I startled you or anything, but I'm a little curious about something."

She looked at him and just stared.

"How did you get here?" he asked, trying to sound polite. His left leg twitched and he felt rather shaky, although he tried to look confident.

Gen looked from the boy to the ground beneath her; she felt uneasy meeting new people when _they_ made an approach.

"We... we were... on our way to Brazil from Massachusetts. It was a part of evacuation plans, but unfortunately our plane crashed here."

His eyes lit up. "Where?" he asked. The thought of food filled up his mind as he felt his stomach rumble. He hasn't eaten for a while and going on a fishing trip (such as spear fishing) didn't help make things better. It would be nice to eat banana chips and hamburgers again. "Is there a wreckage?"

"Um, yeah," she replied, gathering her thoughts. She pointed in its direction, "It's somewhere down there, I think."

'Perfect!' he thought. Just as he dashed off without saying good-bye, his fellow cadets called him. He literally forgot they existed. He never asked for her name.

"Hey Eric! What are you running from?" Tex asked.

"Scared you'll get diseased?" Sam teased.

"Shut-up!" Eric hollered. Just then he covered his mouth; he did all this in front of Gen. To his embarrassment, he looked away from everyone else.

'So, he has a twin brother,' Gen thought. 'Interesting.'

She tied up another end of two sticks shortly before placing her attention on the boys.

"Never mind him," Sam said with an icy undertone, smirking. "He's always like that."

"All those outbursts tend to get in his way," Tex said. "You'll get used to it."

On the inside, Eric felt like crying. He hated being in the center of gossip. It was very embarrassing, though he'd gossiped about others in the past. On top of the boys talking about him, he was suddenly worried that the girls might call him a dork. He had no idea they were the first set of boys to make this encounter with them.

He still had his back on them. His left foot occasionally tapped the dirt ground beneath him. As he thought rationally about his actions, he couldn't bring himself to apologize.

"So where are you guys from anyway?" Gen asked, leaning against a tree with her arms crossed.

"Hawaii," Tex replied. "We were in military school someplace else, though."

"Um, no. That would be Hawaii. That's where military school is," Sam pointed out. "We were going on a trip somewhere. Probably the same place you were going, but our plane crashed here."

"Maybe they told you guys it's a trip," Gen replied, "but it was an evacuation because of the war."

Shocked, Sam stood there. His lips twitched while Tex shot a knowing glance at him. At this point they were thinking about rescue, their parents, and the way life used to be. Two days ago, the boys' plane was shot down in the Atlantic near the Caribbean. It was by far the most horrendous moment in their lives. They didn't know what to do then - except scream for help and panic.

"I guess you're right," Sam said with a sigh. His stomach flipped and he cringed at the thought of that dreadful day. Hopefully someone will lighten the mood and change the subject.

"Remember what the fat kid said?" Tex asked Sam.

"During assembly?"

"Yeah. He said 'We're going home.'"

They burst into laughter. To her surprise, Eric was laughing his head off too.

"What about him?" she inquired. "Is he in your group too?"

"Yeah," Eric managed to say, tears long forgotten. "His name is-"

"-Piggy!" Sam blurted out. At this point, the three boys were rolling on the ground laughing hysterically. Gen sighed heavily, as she came to realize that boys on an island could mean trouble.

'I guess they're too hyper now. Gosh! Why does there have to be boys here in the first place? Why didn't they just crash somewhere else?'

Her thoughts were interrupted by her sister's call. "Yo Gen! I need help with this stick. It's hard to stick into the ground."

"Why don't you sharpen it at the very end?" she suggested.

Sherie leaned to the side to catch a better glimpse of her little sister. "Because I don't have the knife," she replied. "Bosnia took it just as I was close to being finished."

"Hol'up." She went and grabbed a rock nearby, using it to beat the butt end of the stick while Sherie held it. "Is it good?"

"Yeah. Good enough. The other two are behind this one."

Gen took a quick look, followed by Tex and the twins. The shelters were standing tall, with some roofs made of straw. Tony and Mikey had already left, but the others had no idea they did.

"So who will occupy these?" Gen asked.

"The girls. Besides, Ashley's lil'bro and his musketeers will either be in the same shelter as Brenda or Bosnia. I really don't think having them mix in with the little g's is a wise idea anyway."

"Why don't they stay with Ashley instead?" Gen suggested. "Matt's her little brother."

"Okay. Then that settles it. Right now we could see if there's any food left back in the wreckage."

"Can we come?" Sam asked earnestly. While hope glowed in his eyes, both girls exchanged glances before looking back at him. They shook their heads.

"Why not?" Eric asked.

"I know we just met, but can't we at least follow you two?" Tex asked.

"Go back to your camp and wait there," Sherie ordered.

"There's a bunch of wild boars," the twins enclosed.

"What?" Both sisters looked puzzled. Sherie can't recall seeing a wild boar on her exploration earlier. In fact, what _was_ a wild boar? None of the girls had a clue about what it was, either.

"Nothing!" the twins beamed. It seemed as though Sam and Eric were friends again, because, well, they were in hysterics and forgot about Sherie and Gen.

The girls exchanged funny looks before looking back at the twins. As they walked away, the twins still laughed with each other.

* * *


	2. Tripping Over

(02) Tripping Over

"Tex?" Sam called.

"Yes?"

"Do you have-"

"-any idea-"

"-where Tony-"

"-and Mikey-"

"-went?"

Tex looked from side to side. "I never saw them leave," he told them, "maybe they decided to sneak away."

After a long period of time that felt so quiet and still in the forest, he turned towards the beach to see Samneric walking away. He had no idea they left him there, but it turned out they snuck away as well.

-x-x-x-

Meanwhile, Ralph and Jack were taking a stroll down the beach. The two leaders were opposites for many reasons. Ralph is worried and wants to be rescued, but Jack is excited and he'd rather hunt. Little did they know their fun won't last long.

"What if someone else gets sick?" Ralph asks.

Jack smirked. "Man, you gotta stop worrying so much. We've got it made."

Ralph looked at him as his friend went on.

"No parents. No teachers. No academy... no girls."

Ralph bit his bottom lip to conceal his smile. Freedom, to him, seemed awesome.

"Of course, I wouldn't mind getting a little every now and then," Jack stated.

"Like you ever got any," Ralph teased.

"Well, I said I wouldn't mind." And without warning he pushed Ralph to the ground and giggled. Ralph got up and pushed Jack in the water. Jack returned the favour with a hard push. He landed on his bad arm that had a sling to support it.

"Ow! Mi' arm."

Jack approached him. "You okay?"

With that, Ralph tripped him over. "Dyke!"

They both smiled and laughed it off. It wasn't long till Mikey and Tony approached them on the beach. They did not seem amused.

"Guys, you wouldn't believe what we saw..." Tony began.

Upon reading their facial expressions, both chiefs stopped smiling. They looked forward to hearing what news their fellow cadets had for them.

Chances were that one of the boys, Rusty, had his loose tooth fall out and he wanted help in searching for it. Maybe it was Greg, who wasn't careful, and got himself tangled in creepers again. Or, even worse, Roger and Rapper had again begun to throw rocks at Billy while he was fishing. Whatever the case might be, both leaders loved hearing funny stories. After all, they would resume back to their fun after hearing it.

"What exactly was it?" asked Ralph.

"A bunch of girls." Tony, who looked as though he had eaten something very sour, said.

"That means cooties and pink uniforms," Mikey added with a worried look.

There was an awkward silence.

Ralph opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

Girls? That didn't sound quite right. Maybe it was all a joke... well, hopefully! Tony was a total joker when he's ready, so there were no girls on the island. It was just a way to grab their attention. Some smart kid he is!

However, what if there were girls on this island? Has Tony meant it? The thought made Ralph cringe and twitch; at the same time, there's hope. They can help out with some of the chores. It would take some of the burdens off the boys' shoulders. Now that's how life should be. Hopefully, these girls will listen; but if they didn't...

Ralph felt a knot in his throat and shook off the thought. To him, girls were neutral. They're not one-hundred percent good. They might avoid their chores because of their hair. Their nails. Their eyelashes. This nightmare! Even though he had hoped Tony wasn't serious, fear glinted in his eyes. "Hm. I hope they aren't snobs," the chief began. He didn't realize he thought aloud when Jack and the others heard. As he looked at his companion, he received an icy glare in return. 'What's up with him?' Ralph thought.

"Great!" Jack snapped, as he rolled his eyes. "Now we have girls to take care of."

"Why'd you say that?" Tony asked with a chuckle.

"Because they can't do things right."

The tall boy hissed and crossed his arms. As he stood up and kicked the sand, thoughts of bossy and snobby girls invading their shelters crowded his mind. Life was good before this moment came around. All he ever wanted was to have fun and do as he pleases. To him, school was cool at times, but it got pretty boring. Now that he's on this island, freedom was his... but with girls on the island, it would make big changes. No more fun, no more glory... no more freedom!

This angered Jack to no end. He knelt down and watched the palm trees ahead of him, tuning out the others who tried to get his attention. Fate wasn't fair at all. Fate sent girls to the exact same island as them. The island they once dominated. The island that was their home. The island that would've made a great memoir if it weren't for girls. Just great!

"Why would girls upset you?" Ralph inquired, hiding his fearful features.

Jack snarled as his hand rolled into a fist. Some of the wet, white sand got trapped in it. "They're too dependent for crying out loud!"

Ralph got on his feet, mustering his courage. "Maybe we can at least see who they are."

Jack got up and proceeded in the forest. "I really hate this! Why in the world did this have to happen?"

Ralph trotted behind him. "I don't know. It must be fate, I guess."

"The only thing I know is that I won't like them if they're real snobs."

"Who knows?"

Jack made no response. His pace increased as the news had an impact on him.

The other boy tried to catch up. "It seems as though you already hate them."

The taller boy rolled his eyes. "What else would it look like?"

"Well," said Ralph, "chances are they might be, especially after hearing Mikey's analogy. And we haven't met them yet, so why are you complaining?"

"Because girls on an island means bullshit!" He stopped in his tracks and faced the other boy. "Remember that."

"I'm afraid we'd have to build more shelters and hunt more often," said Ralph, as he gave his companion a worried look. "It'll be a bigger load on our shoulders. Besides, I think I should call assembly later on."

"Do your thing," Jack said nonchalantly. "Everything is becoming a burden, all because of a bunch of weaklings!"

"I thought you said you didn't mind," Ralph pointed out. Jack shook his head.

"Now I do! It just messed up my day."

As a small pig ran past Ralph's feet, it led Jack to rush towards it. With a blade that glinted, the little creature quickened its pace to get away. For a moment, Jack saw himself versus a pig. It was caught between small branches in a bush. The taller boy smiled.

'You're mine now.' Just as he jumped and swung the blade downwards, simultaneously, the little pig pushed its way out of the bush before he caught it. His smile faded. His face hardened. Not only did he fail at catching one, but he also failed on impressing his chief.

Uptight, the tall boy sighed and pushed his blond hair back. "Nearly got him." He looked at Ralph from a distance. "Next time!" He threw his pocket knife on the ground.

'This isn't a good day for him,' Ralph thought. 'All because of girls we haven't met yet.'

"C'mon Jack, let's go back to camp. We can always catch one later on."

'I really hope so,' thought Jack. As he stared in the direction of the little piglet, he slowly knelt down and held his knife. Thoughts of a successful hunt flooded his mind. 'You will be mine...'

-x-x-x-

A few minutes later the older boys made it back. They were approached by the twins, who also made mention of girls. Ralph grew a little more curious, while Jack, on the other hand, felt very annoyed and wondered when this will end.

"Where did you see them?" Ralph inquired.

"Somewhere in the forest," Sam replied.

"There's about fifteen of them," Eric said.

'Hell no!' Jack shouted inwardly.

Life became more unbearable - in Jack's case. If it was one or two girls, things would be much better. Fifteen? Jack shook his head in disbelief. In everything he chose to do in the future, there will be an annoying snob getting in his way. Being a head hunter at that, he'll have no other choice but to catch more meat than usual. It'll take almost all day to get the job done, and right now he hates it even more. The more this keeps up, the less likely he'll be seen running wild for all a boy's worth. His pride will be lost.

"How'd you know that?" Ralph asked.

"I counted them," Eric replied.

"They already-"

"-built a camp-"

"-and there's-"

"-a wreckage-"

"-somewhere."

Their eyes widened. A wreckage could mean supplies, extra clothes and food... Their bellies rumbled waves of hunger at this point. They were hungry and they haven't eaten any real food lately. It's already been two days and their only sources were fruits and water. Nothing better.

"Where?" Jack asked.

"Don't know," said Sam.

"They said we can't come," Eric explained.

"They went to get food though."

The blond's eyes slitted as he hardened his jaw. "Just like I suspected," Jack said in a low voice. "They're snobs. Hogs. Weaklings!" With that, he stormed off and played in the water with the others in a matter of seconds.

"What's up with him?" Eric asked.

"He's just having a bad day," Ralph replied. "Let him be. He'll get over it."

'I hope,' his conscience told him.

-x-x-x-

The girls walked down a complicated path, each of them with bags of food in hand. They also had a few clothes to change into every now and then. Inspite of it all, they've found two First Aid kits, a survival knife, two flashlights and four packs of matches. A few sensitive girls had small knapsacks on their backs, containing makeup and hair stuff. Although they were told to leave those things behind, they refused to listen.

"Where do we go now?" Lexy asked Bosnia.

"Straight to camp. By then we can organize things better."

"But we have no bed covers," a small girl named Jenna whined. A murmur raced through the group. How were they gonna stay warm at night?

"A FIRE!" Mandy beamed loudly. Matt, Rudy and Tyrick glared at her.

"Hate to burst your bubble," Rudy began, "but you just attracted the attention of wild boars!"

"And tigers!" Matt added.

"And anything else that can attack us!" Tyrick spat.

"Since when did you losers know that?" Mandy challenged them.

"Because they have more common sense than you!" Heather snapped while she whipped her hand against her head.

"Yeah seriously," Lexy chimed. "We might not be the only people here."

"So what?" Mandy went on. "They couldn't care less."

Sherie went on, leaving the rest of the group behind. Like everyone else, she can't stand Mandy's stuck up attitude. Before she could enter her shelter, she was stopped by Piggy and a few little boys.

'How did they get here?' she thought. 'Did they see us?'

"Excuse me please," she kindly asked.

"How did you get here?" he asked.

"We crashed," she said boldly, getting a little frustrated. "Now let me pass."

Piggy and a few small boys still stood there, observing the area. A few shelters were built, but the plump boy had no idea why long creepers and rocks were shielding the entrance of each hut. Chances are they'd use them as a defence against invasion.

What was he thinking? The war never left his mind. He can't assume that's what this girl would do, but one look was all it took to think that'll actually happen.

"This is our campsite!" she snapped at Piggy. "You're not aloud to come here without permission!"

Before Piggy could protest, a few voices hollered from the beach. His mind was interrupted as he turned to see one of the twins, or both, coming in his direction.

"Hey it's you again!" Sam hollered as his voice flew through a crowd of unfamiliar faces.

To her embarrassment, Sherie felt her cheeks burn. She dropped her things and took a dash, not realizing one of her personal belongings landed on Piggy's toe. All she ever wanted was a normal life as a castaway, but a massive group of boys would be very annoying! Like her brothers at home, these creeps would be just as bad.

The rest of the cadets stopped what they were doing and stared.

"She's strong for a female," Piggy said, still caught in surprise as he rubbed his toe.

"That's because you're a female too, Ms. Piggy!" Jack taunted. "I would've ran after her and got even, compared to you."

The others laughed hysterically.

"Shut-up!" he shouted. "It's not my fault why she ran away like that."

"Actually it is. You scared her off," Sam said matter-of-factly. "She might not want to see your face again."

"Yeah seriously!" Eric teased. The rest of the older boys laughed to their heart's content.

"You're the one that scared her!" Piggy snapped at Sam. None of the others seemed to care, let alone listen. They went their separate ways and left him standing there with a few smaller kids. Piggy muttered something to himself and walked away.

No one would ever understand him, really. Piggy was often left on the backseat; he was the outcast of the group. Most kids back at home poked fun at him for being fat; at school, on the playground, almost everywhere! Despite his high intelligence that he took advantage of, the plump boy still felt very lonely.

As the average school-boy would put it, life isn't fair.

He made outstanding grades in school, but had very little to no friends. His peers would point fingers at him and he was always ridiculed for being obese. They used to call him 'Piggy' and intimidate him on numerous occasions. Growing up without parents was never easy; but his auntie was around to take care of him. She made sure he got the education and health care he needed, since he was asthmatic. Piggy loved her candy shop, and thanks to those analytical skills, he'd volunteer to work behind the cash register.

_"Munchkin," she'd say, "don't you ever change yourself to please others. Staying true to who you are as an individual is very important for a young lad. It defines you in the gold pages."_

That was then, and her words stayed on his mind for as long as he could muster. Oh how he missed her! A tear slid down his baby left cheek. Trapped on this island with a bunch of boys was bad luck for him, but now that girls might be here it'll make matters worse. Of all the boys in their group, he was by far the only one who knew girls were vicious and mean. Their looks can be deceiving, and after all the books he read in the library there's no doubt in that. Fighting the tears, the intellect knew he had to fend for himself. Heaven only knows how long before they get rescued; but with bullies around, will he make it then?

Sherie hid in the third shelter of her camp. Bosnia, Gen and Heather stood in the entrance.

"We thought we've lost ya," Gen began.

"There's a whole lot of boys," she replied. "A lot more than expected. Earlier there was about ten. Now it's... I dunno." Before anyone else can say something, the sound of the conch was blown.

"What's that?" Heather asked. "Where's it coming from?"

"The beach with that fat kid," Sherie replied.

"Never mind that," Gen said, remembering that there was a fat kid a few boys had mentioned earlier. "The twins are back."

"Y'all should come to our assembly," Eric said.

"Okay."

While the girls organized their things, Bosnia took a quick glance at the boys from a distance. Way too many to count! Some were tall, some were short. One was holding a colourful, glittering shell. It shined very bright under the happy sun. The tall girl hissed as her dark eyes tried to make out the features of this person.

Not only did he have the built of a boxer, but he looked very mature in his stature. There was something mysterious about him, which hid behind those honey-brown eyes. The sight of a tall boy holding a precious object made him look very powerful. The greatest warrior always possessed a talisman, and from the looks of it, this boy was already one.

His "talisman" summoned a group of boys to make their appearance, and now they've waited patiently without any utterances. He definitely had the traits of a true leader; holding something very magnificent that others would want to stand in his place, someday.

Someday...

A spark of jealousy twinkled at the corner of her eye.

"Are you okay?" Heather asked with a concerned look on her face. "You look mad."

'I should be the one holding that thing!'

"I-I just don't know who these guys are." She would've smacked herself. This silly comment wasn't her intended response, yet it hid the truth. The former raised an eyebrow and gave her a funny look.

"Okay... well, of course! None of us do," the brunette replied with a smile. "Let's hope they're not troublemakers."

'Troublemakers, eh?' the older girl thought. 'I despise them. Especially the one with that shell he's holding. And that skinny prick. And that fat piece of-'

"C'mon let's go!" Heather beamed as she grabbed Bosnia's arm.

The rest of the group got up and followed the twins onto the beach.


	3. The Rise of Rivalry

(03) The Rise of Rivalry

The tidal waves playfully splashed the rocks, giving them their casual greeting. The birds flew swiftly as they sang their noonday lullaby. At this time of day, the crabs crawled out of their homes and wandered around the beach, partnering up with their own shadows. The white sand was a good companion to an orange starfish. It laid there in the calm atmosphere, hoping that the water won't take it back too soon. Like a child who loves to play, this little starfish stared at the blue sky as usual. It spent some quality time conversing with the sun, and watched the crabs walk by. The sound of the shell disturbed its peace, allowing the water to pull it back in. Five little crabs now stood near the ocean and watched a group of giants from a distance. While they acted as spectators, a small army of ants gathered together near a rock. They made plans of their own.

If only kids were more like them.

After a brief moment of waiting, assembly was now in session. The girls stood near the forest while the boys stood in front of the beach. Although both groups don't know each other perfectly well, they couldn't keep their eyes off the conch. Ralph was the only person who looked around and saw the girls Mikey and Tony told him about. Most of them were tall. Some were slender and others were chubby and fat. The majority of them wore navy blue T-shirts, polo's, sweaters and jackets. To his surprise, not one of them had a skirt on. It was mainly pants that was rolled up or supported by a belt at their waists.

'I guess these girls are from a disciplined school,' he assumed. 'Maybe I should let Piggy get their names.'

At least that's what he wished to believe.

"I called this meeting for a reason," Ralph began.

"What is it?" Greg asked.

"It is now obvious that we're not the only ones here," he replied. "If you look to your right you'll see what I mean."

Strange reactions; mixed emotions.

The boys looked on their right and turned back like robots. From the looks of it, they couldn't care less. The presence of girls among them was no big deal, so why should this matter? Girls wouldn't make a difference on this island. They were, after all, hideous sirens from under the sea. Lo and behold, these evil mother figures would ruin their fun. There's no way they'll let that happen, and that's for sure.

So maybe they were making a big deal out of it, because these creeps they're looking at are real.

The girls simply stood still and kept their eyes on the shiny shell in Ralph's hands. Although they caught a glimpse of the cadets, they didn't care about the boys at all. They've already made obvious assumptions. To them, boys were wild animals unless they were mature; but the chance of immaturity was presumably high. Their conclusion: they came straight from planet Jupiter. How sad.

None of them said a word.

"So," Ralph went on. "I do not want any nonsense to take place. Raids, pranks, and any other silly thing that leads to trouble." He looked at the group of girls. "Where are you guys from?"

"Boston, Massachusetts," Brenda answered.

"Alright. I know we're on this island to have fun and survive, but we also have some important goals to set."

"What kinds?" Pablo inquired. The rest of the boys groaned before the chief responded.

"We'll still go spear fishing and hunting," Ralph said. "As for the fire, I wouldn't mind if any of the girls went to watch it at night."

"At night?" Mandy blurted. She nearly choked on her breath since she's afraid of the dark.

"Yes. Preferably the older ones."

"Which means..."

"Ten and over," Ralph said.

"Sounds fair enough," Ashley said.

The rest of the girls nodded in agreement... except Mandy.

"I also understand y'all set a camp of your own, not too far from ours."

A few of the older girls shot baneful looks at the twins and Piggy. While the recipients shuddered in their places, no one took notice.

As for the boys, they started to make a debate, starting with Rapper.

"The girls can go fishing too!" he blurted.

"Of course they can," Ralph replied in agreement. He looked at them. "Is that good for you guys?"

"Yes," was their mere, reluctant reply. Deep down, they didn't want to work unless there's a chance to play and sleep. The boys muttered, and they continued to talk amongst themselves while the girls held their own conversations.

It wasn't long until things swung out of control. Jack felt the need to intimidate the "powerless". The thought was amusing to him.

"And they must do our laundry!" he joked. A wave of laughter rushed through the rest of the group. "Besides," he continued, "they can't hunt!"

A few of the younger girls shuddered. Some of them looked away in embarrassment, trying to hide their tears.

"They can't piss standing up!" Steve blurted out. The laughter gradually grew.

At that moment the oldest of the girls, Bosnia, took a step up. Being the most outspoken and challenging type, there's no way she'd allow this random creep to hurt anybody's feelings. In turn, she's willing to hurt his feelings. Giving Jack a dose of his medicine would prove her worthy and throw him in the dust. Then she'll be the winner.

"What are you talking about? Y'all can't jump to conclusions and think we're that bad!"

"You don't know us one bit," Sherie chimed in. In comparison to the other girl, she was mature for her age. She thought things through rationally and critically. Now that this pandemonium came crashing down on them, it was time she talked some sense to deaf ears like Jack Merridew.

The other girls looked at Ralph again in order to avoid catching the others in sight, who were mocking them. Piggy heaved a sigh as he watched. For once he felt empathic for the small little girls. At that point he took notice of three little boys, who stood right in front of Ashley. They didn't show what or how they felt. He found it rather hard to pinpoint why they weren't laughing hysterically like the others did.

Simon figured they were caught between two forces in a tug of war between both groups, although he stayed neutral.

Should he call them 'littluns'?

'Hmm...' Jack thought. 'They think they're bold, huh?'

"Sorry," he contemplated. "You just gotta learn to accept the fact that y'all are the weaker ones. No careers, no charisma." At this point, Roger smirked while Luke, Rapper and Will laughed their heads off. Being the five that stood the closest to each other, leaving Jack in the center, made Sherie rationalize. They're buddies, and chances are he's their biggest influence.

"Oh really?" Sherie challenged him. "We're not as weak as you think."

"Yeah seriously," Bosnia said. "Next time think before you speak. And for your information, I can hunt."

'She's got to be kidding,' Roger thought. He remained silent amongst the noisy group.

"Prove it!" Jack snapped with a hint of arrogance.

Bosnia gave Jack an icy glare. "One of these days I will," she said boldly. "Just watch me."

"She can hunt?" Rapper asked with a hint of excitement in his voice. "She should come with us sometime!"

"Yeah!" Andy replied. "We'll watch her catch a pig!"

"As if!" Will snapped sarcastically, crossing his arms. "She's lying!"

Ralph blew the conch and waved his right hand to silence them.

"Okay that's enough!" he shouted. "Now is not the time for battles."

He looked at Jack, Piggy and then the girls.

"As some of you already know, I'm chief. Jack is in charge of the hunters. And if you have any concerns you can come to us."

'I'd go to the shell holder,' Sherie thought. "What's your name?"

"Ralph."

'Cool! At least I know he's trustworthy. His eyes say it all.' Her thoughts were interrupted as her little sister whispered in her ear from behind.

"Y'know, I would've not argued with that blonde creep. He's in charge too."

"Well, they were wrong for picking him," she replied.

"Don't mention it," Gen said. "I don't think he's friendly. Think about it. He was calling us weaklings and stuff."

"Then let's pull him off the next time he interferes," Sherie suggested.

Gen smacked herself on the head. "That's not what I meant, sis."

They were in the middle of their conversation when they were approached by Simon, Pablo and the twins.

"Are you twin sisters?" Simon asked.

"No, we aren't," Sherie answered. "I'm older than her."

"Y'all look exactly alike," Pablo commented. "People would think you're twins."

Both sisters shared a grin. "Back at home they always said that," Sherie said. "Well, we were in the middle of chatting. What's going on?"

"Ralph says we should mix in a bit-" Sam replied.

"-and get to know each other," Eric filled in.

"Sounds cool to me!" Gen exclaimed.

The rest of the afternoon went smoothly. The majority got to know each other a little. While some made friends, others made enemies. It's not going to be a fair ride after all.

-x-x-x-

The next morning Bosnia was the first to wake up. She put Brenda in charge of the others, though she was slightly annoyed for having woke up by someone else. She quickly trotted her way deeper into the forest, trying so hard to remember where exactly the pig run was located when she went on the expedition with the others.

Yes, she figured this island was pure paradise. There was no way anything can go wrong. Everything was just right. No one would ever have as much fun as her and the rest of the crew.

Or rather, Ralph's tribe.

Ralph.

Jack.

Piggy.

Boys.

This thought has always upset her. Her feet moved faster and faster as her conscious mind constantly reminded her that two boys are in charge. They make the rules and control anything that happens. She constantly wished that they weren't. In the world of politics, there are many leaders who each represent their countries. They're the ones who control what takes place and choose what actions to take. Even kings in different civilizations make the rules and dire consequences. Most of the time, leaders in the world are males. Presidents of companies and unions are men. On this very island, boys are in charge.

'Why can't women have anything like men?' her mind argued. 'If those creeps ever mess up anything I swear something is bound to go wrong.'

She continued her way down the path where she hears snoring. Her hand gripped on the knife in her pocket as yesterday's retrospect spun.

"That Jack kid is so freakin' arrogant. Thinks he's so cool. Not! And Piggy... what kind of a name is that? His parents must be retards! Simon is too nice, which is why no one will ever like him 'cause I don't. The twins, Samneric, they're utterly annoying the way they talk! Roger, oh God help me. Something's wrong with his brain because he's so freakin silent. Boy can't open his mouth! And Ralph, why does HE have to be in charge? Just because he's colonel in miniature military? That's so freakin' gay! He's younger than me for Pete's sake! I should be the one in control!"

Little did she realize she was thinking out loud. It woke up the piglets that ran into a small little hole. There's no way she could get through.

"Damn it!"

In her frustration, she quickly got up and ran into a ditch that one of the boys used as a "toilet". Although she was a little disgusted, the mother sow she saw quickly ran away as the piglets squealed after it.

Presently, she stepped out of it and pulled her jack knife out of her pocket. It was very disappointing that the airlines didn't realize she was going on board with a weapon. Normally they'd double check and scan every piece of passenger luggage to make sure. Sharp objects were often confiscated.

Luckily, she got away with it. Being a mix of Hispanic and Native Indian, hunting is a normal activity that was done back at home with her grandfather and brothers. Guns were used, but right now a knife was all she had. She held the very tip of the blade between the tips of her index finger and thumb. After taking a good aim, she shot it with a swift hand. It flew for one of the piglets.

Miss!

"Shit!" Utterly taken up by disappointment, she walked towards it and pulled it off the ground. Her biggest fear is that the girls she went to school with will be made fun of by the losers... ahem, boys. Again!

"I can't have them catch a pig before I do!" she muttered to herself. "If that ever happens then my life will be a living hell."

Her almond-shaped eyes were wide at this point. She looked around and kept her antennas up, not wanting to fail another attempt at catching a pig. She shot her eyes in the direction of the sow that was stuck between two branches. Her instincts took over with a rush of sugar. She sprinted her way towards it, with her arms high up ready to strike down.

"Bossy!" Luke called. "What are you doing out there by yourself?"

The sound of his voice has set the sow free, which caused Bosnia to strike her knife deep into the ground before her. She looked up. The sow was gone.

"Looks like someone deliberately missed," Jack commented.

"Well, at least she almost caught it," Rapper said.

"She didn't almost catch it," Jack spat. "She was far from reaching it. That proves she cannot hunt."

Laughter rose from Jack's "gang" members. Bosnia felt her face redden as she pulled it out the ground. Being experienced, making an attempt, and failing in front of a bunch of brats made her nauseous.

"Why do you guys keep annoying me like that?" she snapped, trying to conceal her modesty.

The boys were taken back. Her face was as red as tomato. She stuck the knife in her pocket as she walked out on the beach, which was where they stood.

"Well, it's a battle of the best," Will said. "And you just lost."

"Shut-up! It's not over yet. It just didn't work this time, that's all."

"Good," Jack replied. "Because it's never gonna work for you anyway."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, glaring at him. "Do you know who you're dealing with?"

"Yes," he said nonchalantly.

"Okay then. Who?"

"A loser who can't hunt." He was about to say more but the others burst into laughter.

"So what? You don't have anything to hunt with, and you call yourselves hunters."

"So? Hunting is not a girl's job."

"Since when?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"Since now."

She dropped her hand down. "Whatever. I can do whatever I please. Therefore, you have no authority over me."

Jack looked around before speaking up. "Actually I do! If I tell you you're not a qualified hunter, then that's exactly what you are."

"Okay Mr. Arrogant sitting on the L chair. Why don't you go jack yourself off like real losers do?"

A race of oh's streamed through the gang. Jack now had a glint of aggression in his eye. Girls were easy to use, but this girl wouldn't let him get by. Besides, who does she think she is saying something so rude?

"Excuse me?"

"Excuse you," she mimicked with a chuckle, "Your name means a whole lot of things, jackass. Too bad your parents never thought of _that_."

The boys muttered comments that raised his anger level.

"You're not gonna take that, are you?" Roger whispered in his ear. Jack slowly shook his head while his eyes remained on her. His vicious glare didn't strike her yet; her mischievous grin was enough to tick him off. The tall boy was good at bringing people down, and so was she.

"You better watch your back, Bossy," he threatened. "I swear you're gonna have a whole lot of shit to deal with."

"Oh please," she said sarcastically. "You're such a dumb blond. In fact, I have no time to deal with a creep like you. People as dumb as you piss me off."

Jack was angry now. His breathing was rapid and his eyes were blazing with wildfire. He felt the need to slap her, to show who's boss. There's no way she'd get away with it.

Bosnia, on the other hand, was glad she cussed him out. It shows on the mean smile she now had on her face. There's no way he'd make another attempt to tease her again. Having empowerment over him was quite entertaining.

"Come on Jack," she taunted. "Hit me! Hit me and see what you'll get."

He stayed in his place, but the anger in his face remained. Growing up, his mother told him to never hit a lady. So why were girls allowed to hit boys? That never made any sense, since his father told him to be tough at all costs. The tall boy had pondered whether or not he should follow in the footsteps of either parent. It was hard to figure out.

"Oh, so you're scared now!" she ranted. "I can't believe it. Thought you had guts, _Jack_."

At this point his ego flew out of control.

"Shut-up, bitch!"

Just as his hand reached to hit her, she leaned to the side as she saw Sherie running in their direction. She was apparently chasing after a crab that stole her lip gloss. Then...

_Slap!_

She fell to the ground, got up and pushed him into Roger.

"The hell is your problem?" she charged. "Why'd you hit me?"

Bosnia snickered to her satisfaction. Not only did Jack hit somebody, but he was being accused of it in his position as authority.

'That's exactly what a jackass like him deserves,' she thought.

"It wasn't you. I didn't mean to. That stupid girl over there..." He paused in mid-sentence, wanting to get Bosnia in trouble himself. The dark girl tapped her foot on the ground, arms crossed and waited for an answer. Jack still stayed silent.

"Well, why did you?"

"It was an accident," Rapper spoke up.

"Shut-up!" Sherie snapped. "It's no accident. It's foolish."

"Your best friend told me to hit you," Jack lied.

"Liar. You're just saying that to get away," Bosnia retaliated. "Since when would I?"

To her surprise, Sherie glared at her too. Her eyes were squinted as they shot glances back and forth.

"Okay, look," she began. "I know y'all must be thinking I'm stupid or something, but the real stupid idiots around here are you guys."

"Your friend was pissing me off," Jack said carelessly. He wanted to hit Bossy, not her best friend. Oh well...

Bosnia rolled her eyes. "Looks like somebody needs anger management."

"Shut-up Bozo!"

"Jackass!"

"Hey! Both of you snap out of it," Sherie demanded. "I can't believe y'all are acting so childish."

"He started it," Bosnia told her, putting on her most reasonable expression. "His mindless friends disturbed me while I was hunting. To make matters worse, they don't have the essential tools for hunting so whatever!"

She turned to Jack. "How old are you?"

"That's none of your business thank you very much." Jack's face pointed to the sun with his chin up in the air. His eyes were closed and his arms were crossed. As arrogance masked his features, he never had the intention to hit this girl in the first place. Bosnia deserved it, not Sherie.

"See what I mean?" Bosnia went on. "He's got problems. Can't man up for once."

Jack and the others glared at her. Their arms were crossed, except for Luke who had hands planted on his hips. Bosnia's face went red at the sight of that, but what's even worse is that Sherie didn't side with her.

What gives? She can fight her own battles by herself.

"For a thirteen year-old, you would've walked away and let them look stupid."

She turned to Jack. "And as for you, it would've helped if you did the same."

Bosnia growled. Was Sherie for real?

"I'm not stupid," she said.

"Neither am I," Jack spat. "And no, I didn't mean to hit you. It was that stupid Bozo I was trying to get but you ran in."

Sherie kicked the sand. "Great! Lame excuse. Thought you'd know better than to hit a girl."

"But it's true," Jack explained. "There's witnesses to prove it."

The 'witnesses' raised their hands in court style. They saw when the plaintiff leaned back in order for the defendant to get in this sticky situation. Good thing they weren't in a real courthouse right now!

"For sure they're gonna lie for him," Bosnia muttered. "There's no doubting it."

"Shut-up Bossy!" Will shouted.

"You know exactly what led to this," Luke said with a tone of threat in his voice.

"Shut-up!" Bosnia retaliated.

"You're the one that's lying," Rapper argued. "You made sure Jack would be pissed to the extreme so that he'd do that to you."

Gathering her thoughts, Sherie grabbed Bosnia's arm. "We've got to talk," she said as she dragged her friend away from the boys.

-x-x-x-

As soon as they've made a good distance, the boys started talking.

"Well, at least the problem is half-way solved," Luke said.

Rapper shook his head. "Not quite. The girl with braids is still upset. I don't think she'll ever forget this."

"Doesn't that suck," Will commented. "I mean, honestly, Bosnia would've got it. She deserved it, but that other girl came along."

"I told her it wasn't my fault," Jack explained. "I didn't mean to hit her."

"You should've said sorry," Luke said. "That way she'd understand."

"Yeah seriously," Roger popped in. "Now she might tell Ralph what you did and none of the other girls would get near you."  
At this point they shot a glance at Roger. What was he thinking? A heartless being like him would be the very first to say 'all girls are ugly'. Despicable. A big disgrace to a boy's world.

"So? Thanks to Bosnia this bullshit's a total piss off!"

"While boys beat, girls gossip," Rapper said.

"Huh?"

The others gave the black boy puzzled looks. Whatever that meant, they decided to let it slide.

"I'm going for a swim," Luke said, turning to walk away.

"Count me in!" Will exclaimed as he ran after him. Three boys remained with the intention to make plans versus their new rivals.

"Look, Bosnia might gossip about you hitting Sherie," Rapper stated. "That's what girls do. It's part of where their collective strength comes from."

"Now that makes sense," Jack said.

"Yeah, but why do that when we can always get her back?" Roger suggested.

"Because that Sherie girl-"

"No Rapper, man," Jack interrupted. "Never mind Cherry, whatever her name is. This is about Bozo. She's too much trouble."

"Then let's give her what she really deserves," Roger said. "We'll show no mercy." The others shared a malicious grin; while Rapper licked his lips and rubbed his hands, Jack was driven to probe his buddy.

"Hm, she can fight," he said, gathering his thoughts. "She's in charge of them, a complete bitch... yeah, what should we give her?"

Roger smirked. "Revenge."


	4. Make It or Break It!

(04) Make It or Break It!

Bees buzzed everywhere, trying to gather as much nectar as they wanted. They eventually grew a passion for drinking so much from the lilies nature provided; so much that they kept coming back for more. Ants scurried to and fro, completing their chores as quick as possible. The white sand, which was very hot beneath them, gave their cue to leave. Crickets whistled for only time could tell. The heat on their backs was enough to signal a gradual rise on humidity - sooner or later.

An eleven-year-old boy struggled to get on his feet. His head spun faster than a Merry-Go-Round; his knees were very weak and his legs wobbled like Jello. Falling forward, he propped himself up thanks to his strong hands. The sun struck its ultraviolet arrows at the child's back mercilessly. Thankfully, the young boy, with all his strength, crawled into the shade under a small palm tree; its leaves were broad enough to shield him from those vicious attacks. He heaved a sigh of relief and laid back against the tree trunk. A chameleon, one he called his friend, returned to its normal forest green colour as it sat comfortably in the young boy's hair and took a nap.

Simon never felt happy enough being amongst the boys. Being far away from home in military school was indescribable. He didn't have any real friends except for Ralph, but now that he's chief and is busy with Piggy, he felt very lonely. Watching everyone play splash games in the water and build castles in the sand made him long to get back home. A chameleon walked on his arm; he stared at it forever. This was the only friend he had on this island. There used to be Jack, but he was intimidating and carefree. There used to be Greg, who had other people to bid his time. There used to be Will, who was a joker that pushed him aside. There used to be Luke, who looked down on him. There used to be Rapper, who had spread nasty rumours of him back at school with Jack's help. Andy ignored him. Steve ignored him. Tony had no idea the boy existed. And what about Roger?

He forced himself to stop thinking. None of these guys were his friends. What he got was enough to prove it.

'At least I'm on fire watch tonight,' he said inwardly. 'Nobody's gonna be my partner anyway.'

As he lay back and stared up at the sky, he didn't remember talking to any of the girls except for Sherie and Gen. The others were a bit too much for him.

Then it clicked. He's better when getting along with girls, not boys. Boys always made fun of him at school. Even a British boy named Bastion called him 'batty'. He knew exactly what that meant. Since then, everyone else seemed to have their backs turned on him except Ralph. He used to sing soprano on the church choir back at home. He had a real beautiful voice to begin with, and often went to sing leads until his fainting spells took over.

Back to reality. They're all stuck on this island. Simon hated this personal hell of loneliness, but he learned to adjust to it. Today, that was going to change.

"Hey," Gen greeted from over him. "What are you doing here by yourself?"

Simon sat up. "Nothing really," he replied. "Just thinking, that's all."

"Hm. Well, I guess that means you're bored." She sat beside him. "I don't see you swimming or playing tag or anything like that."

"I'm a loner," Simon confessed. "No one likes me. It's like I'm nobody. Even though my parents back at home said it's okay to be different, it seems so wrong."

"Well, that means you really don't know me."

He shot a glance at her. "Why would you say that?"

She turned to face him. "I'm not any better," she stated. "When I was younger I was teased at school on numerous occasions. But going to church... man, I was always targeted. Kids and teens would point fingers at me and call me names. So I eventually stopped going and moved in with my dad."

"That sucks," Simon said. "Do you have any idea what being far away from home is like?"

"With no adults and parents around?" Gen asked.

"In a way, yes. But you've never been to boarding school before?"

"No. I never had. I couldn't handle it."

"Okay. What about the girls you landed here with?"

"Oh them. They're alright. I'd be seen hanging out with Trishina and Ashley. The others I don't really bother with simply because they're obsessed with extreme stuff."

"Whoa!" At this point Simon was trying to figure out what she meant by 'extreme' stuff. "What kind of stuff?"

"Preteen stuff," Gen replied. "Girl stuff rather. They always want to be popular and make up rules for being cool. I mean, people our age always try so hard to please others when they do something real stupid. That's why I don't stick with them except for Trish and Ash." She met his eyes. "You're that curious?"

"Well, yes. That's just me. Anyways, don't you spend time with your sister?"

"My sister and I are stuck like glue," Gen said with a nod. "Yes, we have our moments, but we liked going to the same school."

"That's good," Simon said. "I wished I had a sibling."

"Only child?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Gen smiled. "Simon, I have to admit, you're very kind and understanding," she commented. "Sometimes I wonder why the others don't hang with you at all. It makes no sense, they're really missing out."

"Well, at least that settles it," he said with a smile. "Thanks. You're pretty cool too."

-x-x-x-

Rudy, Tyrick and Matt sat on the mountain playing with rocks and grass. They've been spending time tying long grass stems with the round rocks they found.

"Is your necklace almost done?" Matt asked.

"Not quite," Tyrick replied. "I still can't believe we're stuck here."

"Yeah," Rudy chimed in. "Maybe it's just a dream."

They didn't know how to make necklaces. They weren't making them to begin with.

"A dream?" Matt asked.

"Yup," he replied. "We should pinch each other."

"Then we'll wake up!" Matt exclaimed.

"Calm down yo," Tyrick told him. "What if it isn't?"

"It must be!" Rudy insisted stubbornly. "We might be sleeping in France right now!"

Brazil was where they were headed; just two hours below the border.

Tyrick shot a glance at the ocean. "Okay, as long as this is really a dream."

The little musketeers didn't like it here. Even though they made some new friends, like Peter and Patterson, they wanted to go home and watch their favourite TV shows. Hopefully they were dreaming. This was all a fake. There's no way they're stranded here when, they can just wake up, hop outside and chase after an ice cream truck on a hot day like today. Matt, the curly blue-eyed blonde, would take a gab on chocolate flavoured ice cream. Rudy, the outspoken leader with a caramel complexion and short cut loved his strawberry ice cream. Tyrick, a black boy with cornrows wanted his vanilla ice cream so bad. On a deserted island, where can they find ice cream?

Matt looked up from the rocky "necklace" he made. "What are we waiting for?" he asked. "We should pinch each other now!"

"Okay."

"Let's go!"

They sat in a triangle. They held each others arms by their fingers. In a matter of three seconds, they pinched each other hard simultaneously. Nothing worked. They shut their eyes and made a second attempt. They still remained in the same place. Eyes slowly opened...

"I give up," Matt said with a low tone. "We'll never wake up."

"Me too," said Tyrick. "I don't think Dad will come in my room."

"No! Don't say that! Let's do this again by pretending we're at home," Rudy suggested.

"In bed?" Matt asked.

"Watching Fox Kids and Disney?" Tyrick asked, wide-eyed.

"Yes!" Rudy answered. "Hopefully that'll get us back."

With that, they tuned out the noise of the ocean waves, the birds that fly, the wind rustling through the trees, and the older kids who were arguing in the background. They thought about going to school, playing frozen tag with their other friends, watching their favourite TV shows and so forth. One more hard pinch was all there is to it. This time something will happen. It must work, shouldn't it?

The third time they pinched each other with the same thoughts in mind, nothing happened. They opened their eyes to see that everything remained the same. To their disappointment, they got up and walked down the mountain. As they trotted their way down the beach, they met up with the little military boys. Though they were the very youngest of what has become a mass group, they couldn't help but talk about going back in time. Back to the most recent moment before evacuation. Before boarding a plane. Before crashing on this island.

Life sucks where ice cream is concerned, but it's never too late to play frozen tag.

x-x-x

On the beach, not too far from camp, two girls took a stroll conversing for countless hours. They would like it if no boys were around. They hated it, and they haven't stopped to think of the friends they've made. They didn't think about freedom, because, there's no time for that. They took the time to look back at what life used to be, but both figures knew there was no point of return.

"Are you for real?" Heather asked Sherie. "He must be out of bounce."

"You mean bounds, but don't mention it," Sherie told her. "It's between him and Bosnia."

"Oh lawd!" she slurred. "I thought ol' girl was smarter than that."

"He was gonna hit her, but instead I ended up in the middle of the situation." She kicked the sand when Heather spotted her red lip gloss on the ground.

"Hey! The crab didn't try to steal it," she pointed out.

Sherie looked at her. "What do you mean by that?"

Heather held up her buddy's lip gloss and dropped it on her hand. "It must've been trying to bury a treasure of it's own," she concluded.

"Makes sense."

They quickly strolled their way back to camp, where they met up with Pablo and the twins.

"You wouldn't believe what we found!" they chanted in one voice. Both girls raised their eyebrows. Why were they so excited?

"It's this strange looking tree," Sam said.

"You could climb on it," Eric added.

The girls looked at each other. They still had no idea what this is all about, but they figured it'd be best to find out.

"It's like a fort," Pablo explained. "Call it the ultimate clubhouse if you wish."

"Why don't y'all take us to it?" Heather asked.

"Follow us."

The group of five went in the forest. Seven steps was all it took. In no time the boys stopped in their tracks, leaving the girls in trivial.

"Where is it?" Sherie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Over there!" the twins exclaimed as they pointed in its direction.

The tree did look like a fortress of some kind. A few other kids were climbing on it, swinging from it, running on its balcony and even sleeping on it.

"So what's the big deal?" Heather asked, not sure she should believe them.

"There's a built-in staircase and four rooms inside of it," Pablo replied. "You'll go crazy if you ever step inside because it's real spacious."

The girls shrugged it off. They went inside only to be in awe. Everything looked exactly how the boys described it.

"This is a real playhouse," Heather assumed.

"No it's not."

"Then what should we call it?" the brunette asked.

"Our clubhouse!" The twins exclaimed.

"Perfect!" Sherie said. "I'll get the others and show them this place."

"No Sherie, don't," Eric pleaded.

"Why not? This place is awesome."

"Yeah, but some people-"

"-we know-"

"-might screw-"

"-things up."

Heather looked puzzled at how the twins used this communication strategy. Sherie has gotten used to it though.

"If they do that, this place will no longer be a clubhouse," Pablo said.

"Okay then. Might as well tell a few."

"That's the spirit," Sam said with a smirk.

Sherie and Sam left the others behind with the intention of passing on their excitement to the "right" crowd.

-x-x-x-

Meanwhile, Bosnia grouped a few girls together. It consisted of Brenda, Lexy, and Mandy. Even though they were specifically chosen to keep watch of the fire during the day, she decided that it would be a better idea to prove to Jack and his gang what a skilled hunter she was. If they didn't believe her, then a bunch of girls will. Besides, it wasn't fair that all the other kids were having fun, while they're trapped in boredom just watching a signal fire. To them, it was useless. Why Ralph and Piggy cared so much, they'll never know.

"Bossy," Brenda began, "do you really think this is a wise idea?"

"Yes it is. That way, I'll show them that I'm talented."

"But Ralph said we should keep the fire going," Brenda stated.

"So? Let the others do that job."

"The others are either busy fishing or hunting," Lexy pointed out. "Besides, Jack says hunting is a man's job."

"Not!" Bosnia snapped. "He's just saying this to get me pissed." She looked at them. "Don't let them hypnotize you!"

"So? Let's tell them to watch the fire," Mandy suggested.

"Oh come on. Roger won't listen, Will wouldn't care, Luke will call you a jerk off and Jack will treat you like bullshit!"

"Bosnia, I think you're taking this whole thing too far," Brenda said. "Yes, they can be real jerks at times. Otherwise from that, do you even realize you're becoming one?"

"Shut-up! Let's just go catch a pig!"

"But how are we gonna cook it?" Brenda inquired. "We don't even have spears."

"Make Jack's hunters do that job!" Bosnia shouted as she swiftly swung her knife around. Brenda and Lexy leaned back as the knife barely touched them. "Now come on! Let's go!"

"But the fire-"

"Nobody gives a damn about fire!"

Brenda and Lexy exchanged looks of confusion. What's gotten into Bossy's head?

Dropping the matter, the girls walked away from the signal fire that they were assigned to keep watching in pairs. As they entered the forest, they broke tree branches and sharpened sticks. Thirty minutes later, they ran like wild boars towards the pig run. In a matter of seconds, Bosnia was on top of a sow while the others circled around to avoid it from escape.  
Unfortunately for her, it was strong enough to break from her grasp. She swore under her breath.

"What do we do?" Mandy asked loudly. A group of piglets ran away, knowing that trouble was close by.

"You go and make sure none of those boys come any closer," Bosnia said lowly. "Besides, they might interrupt my- I mean- our success."

"Okay." She quickly grabbed a stick and went somewhere deep into the forest when she heard another squeal. Assuming it's another pig, she ran in the direction of the sound, using the same strategy as Bosnia's. When the sound was close enough, she jumped for it. Towards it. On top of it. She managed to strangle it when she felt a bunch of sticks hit her back. She quickly let go and rolled over to get away from the mess she was in.

She held her forehead and looked up to see the very suspects Bosnia hated.

"Sorry... I... um..."

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Larry complained. "You literally choked Greg."

"I thought you were a pig," Mandy said.

"We're humans!" Will snapped. "Not pigs!"

"Yeah, I thought you were on fire duty," said Luke.

"But me and all the others went hunting," she lied. It was the only way she could save herself trouble. The strange part is that there was no sign of Sherie, Heather, Gen, Trishina and Ashley. In fact, their job for fire watch takes place tomorrow. Basically, Mandy wanted to save herself from dire consequences by bringing everyone else down with her. That's exactly how she did it back at home, so why not now?

"You little g's are not even supposed to hunt," Roger spoke. Mandy's eyes widened. She never knew Roger had an open mind, or rather, the sense to talk.

"But Bossy said it would make your burdens lighter," Mandy lied. This time, heavy footsteps rushed their way through the other boys. There Jack stood, holding a spear in one hand and a black conch in another.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked.

"We were hunting," Mandy replied. A wave of groans splashed in Jack's ears.

"Hunting?"

"Ye-"

"What did I say about the rule for hunting?"

"I dunno. Bossy wanted to take the burden off your shoulders, that's all."

Burdens? This was irritating. The head hunter knew this was all Bossy's doing. What she did was totally stupid, and he wouldn't hold himself back from saying that in her face. On account of earlier events, he wouldn't mind slapping this girl right now; but he had to keep himself in check.

Jack frowned as he pointed his spear in a certain direction. "Get out," he commanded.

"Why?"

"Because you don't belong," he said with a rude tone. "Now get out of here."

"They're supposed to watch fire today," Luke told him. "But they're just trying to impress you."

"What if a plane flew by?" Greg asked hoarsely.

"Then the girls get the blame," Jack said. "And no, I'm not impressed." Once again, his full attention was on Mandy again. "Now, if you don't move I swear..."  
She got up and quickly ran out; those icy blue eyes of his were a major threat.

x-x-x  
Ralph, Piggy and Simon were busy discussing the rising issues on the island. Gender, hunting, crushes, respect and so forth.

"I don't get it," Piggy went on. "Ever since they got here, the others have been making a rivalry over it."

"Over what?" Ralph asked.

"Who can use the bathroom standing up, who is a skilled hunter, who has the right to speak... stuff like that."

Ralph slowly nodded. It was all starting to make better sense. Simon, on the other hand, shook his head.

"No one has any crushes, Piggy."

"What do you mean? Of course some people do."

Ralph looked at him. "How would you know that?"

"Yesterday Luke carved one of the girl's names on a tree," he explained. "With his pocket knife."

"That doesn't mean anything," Simon said.

"Well, Rapper and Will couldn't keep their mouths shut," Piggy added.

"That's because of the sexist issue," Ralph stated. "Nothing they said was positive, it was rather pessimistic."

"But you and Gen talk a lot," Piggy told Simon.

"So? We're just friends. We enjoy each other's company. That's all there is to it."

"Then consider this," Piggy contemplated. "Why did Jack hit Sherie earlier?"

Ralph's eyes widened, as did Simon's. "I know for a fact he has an aggressive side," Ralph said. "But he wouldn't bring himself to hit a girl."

"Well, she thought he was cool at first but now she changed her mind."

Ralph looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

Piggy shrugged.

"I mean, seriously Piggy," Ralph said. "How would you know that? She barely ever talks to you."

"She wrote it."

Simon's mind clicked. He recalled the time when she told him about her journal and how she'd write until it was full.

"You read her journal?" Simon interrogated.

"Yup. She likes a lot of people, including Ralph." Little did he realize Ralph was still there.

"Thanks for the info Piggy," Ralph said sarcastically. "I really didn't need any of that."

"Thought you would know," he said. "Oh and when Jack comes back, you might want to tell him too."

"Listen Piggy. No offense, but what you did was stupid. If someone likes somebody and wants to keep it a secret, it'll be a secret for as long as they want it to be. Only they can choose when to reveal it."

Simon threw his hands in the air. "I agree with Ralph. If you go around telling her secrets to people, do you think she'll even be friends with you? She'll be more than disappointed if she sees signs of Ralph giving her the eye, during assembly for example."

Piggy hid his smile. "But she really likes them both," he said. "That's why she hangs out with Samneric, Pablo, Tex and Greg. It's a cover up."

"Then what are you trying to bring out of it?" Ralph asked.

"I wanna bring them closer," Piggy said. "That way, all these arguments they have every now and then will diminish."

"Makes sense," Ralph replied. "But honestly, don't go sneak into a girl's diary ever again. That's invading privacy, and people who do that aren't trusted."

"Fine, I won't."

Just then Jack and the others showed up from the forest.

"Ralph, we gotta talk," Jack said.

"Why?" he asked.

"Something about the girls," he said. "One of them attacked Greg today."

"That was Mandy!" Will blurted.

"They're supposed to watch the fire," Ralph explained. "That was their task, while you and the others go and hunt."

Jack's face went straight. "Well, guess what."

"What?"

"They went and hunted, trying to impress me."

"But you said hunting is a man's job."

"Exactly. I know it's Bosnia planning to get me and my hunters upset."

"That means we have to relight the fire again," Ralph sighed as he smacked his head. "Damn..."

Jack stuck the point of his spear in the ground. "They caught a pig." He looked aside and muttered, "Bitches."

"Now I don't know if I can trust any of the other girls to keep watch of the fire," Ralph said worriedly.

"Yes you can," Jack said. "Half of them didn't go yet."

"Jack's right, chief," Rapper said. "Not all of them do as they're told."

"Hm." At this point Ralph couldn't think. He got up and walked into his shelter to clear his mind while the others watched him disappear into the hut.

'Girls giving trouble?' he asked himself inwardly. 'That's bogus!'

He did make it clear that they'll be responsible for the fire. So why didn't they keep it going? Why did they try to hunt? Where were the other kids? As he searched his souvenir for anything significant, Bosnia did say she can hunt. Even if she did, Ralph wouldn't accept it. This rivalry has already reached its peak; it's gotten way too far. The boys were quite troublesome and the girls weren't as helpful as he'd hoped from the start. There's a good chance the girls that went to hunt had no success.


	5. Lightning Struck

(05) Lightning Struck (Dispute and a Secret Affair)

In the meantime, the kids at the "clubhouse" have stopped playing, climbing, swinging and running around the magnificent tree they discovered. They decided to go back to camp in order to avoid trouble for Ralph and Jack; having to search all over the place for 'missing' kids was crazy. It could take all night before they're found.

"Come on guys," Pablo called. "Recess is long over. The sun is setting. We should be going back."

"Can we sleep here instead?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, this place is like a real house," Mikey replied.

"If only there was a TV," Andy said. "We'd watch all our favorite shows!"

"Yes, I know. But we can always come back here tomorrow," Pablo stated.

"But we like it here!" Kelly exclaimed. "It's fun."

"I hope we get the chance to come back," Peter said.

"We will," said Sam.

"Yeah don't worry about it," Greg told them.

"Okay." Everyone of them made a line, from the shortest to the tallest. For some reason, many of these were willing to obey orders. With Pablo in the lead, and Heather at the very end, they all followed in twos. Before proceeding to go back, Pablo made sure that they each had a partner. Then they're off.

"What's that mark on your neck?" Sam whispered in Greg's ear.

"One of the girls choked me," the freckled face replied. "I was with the others earlier, getting ready to hunt when that loud mouth Mandy came crashing into me! She thought I was a pig! Doesn't that scare you?"

"Ugh," was Sam's response. "That girl has problems."

"She shouldn't even be on this island!" Eric snapped. "With her and Bossy in the picture, it's total chaos!"

Greg nodded. "Well, if it weren't for her none of this would've happened."

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Steve.

"You wouldn't want to know," the twins replied in one voice.

By the time they made it back to camp, many of the boys were sitting around a campfire. Many of the little kids who enjoyed their time in the clubhouse earlier ran towards there and sat in whatever mini spaces they can find.

Then, as if on cue, Gen, Ashley, Trishina, Heather and Sherie found spots of their own. Even though their other schoolmates didn't seem to mind who they mixed in with, the five of them were that sensitive. Gen and Ashley sat near Simon, Trishina between Pablo and Tex, and Heather sat behind the twins. Matt, Rudy and Tyrick sat in front of Ashley. Mikey sat in Sherie's lap, and Peter had his head on her shoulder. Jenna and Kelly stayed close to Heather.

Luke wanted to take a spot next to Sherie, but she kept her foot there till Greg arrived. There the small boy sat, but at the age of eleven he wasn't his normal height. His high-pitched voice was also deceitful, but taking new risks such as hunting for pigs proved his maturity level. Many of the hunters were slightly suspicious, as they came to realize how many people had left the hunt. Tony and Andy were the last boys to arrive. They sat behind Tex. Kyla, Rashell, Mindy and Asia got up and went to their shelters. They felt way too tired to sit up.

"Are they a clique or something?" Roger whispered in Jack's ear.

"I don't know. Maybe."

"They hang out with each other a lot," Rapper said. "Besides, they were playing somewhere in the forest all day."

Luke came and sat next to Will. "It's dull," he said. "Did you just see what she just did?"

"She rejected you," said Roger. "It looked pretty good. I like that."

"That's because she hangs out with Greg a lot," Jack said.

"Don't forget Pablo and the twins," Will added. "For some reason they left early."

"Girls mess up everything," Luke assumed. "The fire's out, Ralph's mad, and I don't know if these ones over here will do any better."

"They won't," Roger said. "Besides, Jack literally hit her." He pointed in Sherie's direction.

Jack rolled his eyes. "It was an accident, ok?" he stated. "It was really gonna be for Bosnia, not Cherry."

"Her name's not Cherry," Pablo pointed out.

"Like cherries you eat?" Larry asked with a smirk.

"It's not Cherry!" the twins hollered.

"I wonder if she's delicious, like on top of a sundae," Rapper said.

"Mmm mmm good!"

"Y'all are so stupid," Luke stammered. "This is not a Campbell's Soup commercial."

"Then go to Dairy Queen and ask for a human cherry," Will suggested.

At this point, all the hunters burst into laughter. Sherie, on the other hand, felt a little embarrassed. This is not what she's here for. She shrank herself and moved next to Simon. "I feel weird," she began.

"Ignore them," Simon said. "They're always like that."

"Do they have to be mean?" she inquired.

"Some questions are better left unanswered," he replied. "You just gotta watch and see."

"Where are the other girls?" Jack inquired. "I know they got meat."

"Remember what Mandy did?" Larry began.

"Bosnia made them the way they are," Roger said.

"What are you guys talking about?" Trishina asked.

"Something some of your schoolmates did," Will said. "As long as you g's aren't like that."

"Were they supposed to watch the fire today?" Ashley asked.

"They let the bloody fire out," Rapper said. "Failures."

Sherie looked up from where she hid. "What did they do?"

"They went and hunted pigs," Jack replied, "after I said that it's a man's job."

Just then the other girls arrived. They decided to go straight to their shelters without joining the others. They knew everyone else was disappointed in them for doing something totally stupid. Was it that hard to understand what orders were given?

Bosnia felt quite the opposite. The only thing that upset her was their lack of success. She listened very closely to what the others were saying. She sensed the jealousy in Jack's hunters as well as disappointment from the others. At the same time, she couldn't care less.

Sherie and Heather got up and stood in front of her. They got into a heated argument just minutes after everyone else went to sleep.

-x-x-x-

Brenda sat in the water for as long as she could. Even though they didn't catch a pig, she felt dirty inside. She never brought herself to try and kill something else that moves and breathes like her. It was very inhumane and wrong.

Secondly, she sensed jealousy from the other boys, mainly the older ones. They were supposed to hunt while the girls watch fire in the daytime. It was just that simple; only to be made complicated and be proven guilty. She didn't feel like going back to camp. Two days have already gone by smoothly. Today really sucked because a rule was broken for the first time.

'Great! All this crap because of Bosnia,' she thought. 'Why didn't she leave two of us behind?'

'You should've been more smarter than that,' her conscience stated. 'Besides, what y'all did today reflects on the others in a negative manner, even if it's not their fault.'

'But we had to do it!' she argued inwardly. 'Besides, the others kinda suck.'

'You really think so? Snap out of it girl! This is reality. Now is not the time to do whatever you want.'

She stood up. As she trotted her way down the beach towards camp, she saw something rare. Something unusual. Something surreal.

Sherie and Heather were arguing with Bosnia. It was only then she could assume how disappointed they felt concerning the signal fire, as well as the boys trusting them to complete a task.

"This is all Bossy's fault," she muttered under her breath. "I swear if she didn't mention anything about hunting when we first got here, this never would've happened."

She continued her way closer to the three girls. Her classmates. Her best friends.

Lightning struck, were they friends anymore? It was hard to decide.

Dismissing the thought, she struggled with her mind. Her thoughts kept replaying a movie of the fire watch, her unsuccessful hunt with the others, and the bitter looks they got from everyone else upon return. Hidden behind a tall tree, the short girl tried relentlessly to gain her composure; but the images kept spinning in a loop. Bosnia didn't look her usual self. Neither did Mandy or Lexy. The short girl hid her eyes behind her dark hair at this point. Facing the truth was a bad option, but it stuck up like a sore thumb at the twelve-year-old. It was very annoying at first. Every time she clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes shut, truth's finger still wagged in her mind.

"STOP!" her conscious mind shouted. "Just stop! I'm begging you!"

As if it wouldn't listen, it probed deeper into her mind. The bitter looks of the qualified hunters. The squeals of the piglets begging for mercy. Their ululations and sharp sticks in the air. The sun's relentless heat in the forest. The images looped non-stop. She cowered in an attempt to force herself to forget. This was becoming more unbearable. The contrast of her skin spoke for itself: She was Fool's Gold. Not only did she break the rules, she literally went and followed Bosnia's lead shortly after their dispute. Dark clouds surrounded the young girl and, oddly enough, her heart gave in.

Random images of what would've been interfered. The kids pointed fingers at her. They threw insults and vicious slurs that made her small. Even the littluns snapped and shouted at her. A few hunters gave her the middle finger and Roger picked up a rock nearby. Luckily, his aim was poor. Suddenly, everywhere got dark. The moon grew dim and stars fell. The trees, shelters and campfire had vanished. The mild waves of the ocean grew louder and bigger. She tried to run, but the sand had trapped her feet. She tried her hardest to pull out despite the rocks that the kids threw. As the angry waves came closer, so did they. They were no longer kids; their eyes were concealed by a veil of darkness. Whatever it was, she begged them to stop, but they kept coming closer with bunches of rocks. Frightened, she turned away and ran into the water. Sharp pain struck her back and neck from their relentless stoning. They snarled and kept bashing her from behind. Her pleas for help were ignored, and the bigger kids pushed her in. Instantly, the waves engulfed her and its strong current showed no mercy.

Her eyes opened in a jolt. Some of them were her friends. She was also aware that not all the boys were that bad. If that was the case, then why would they accuse her? This created an icebox, leaving her cold. She shook her head and went where her friends stood. It was a good thing everyone was asleep. All she could hope for was that they'll believe her. If they didn't, then she can unleash anger sometime soon.

"Well, he said it's a man's job for a reason!" Heather argued.

"So? People should be happy we tried to get real food," Bosnia pointed out. "So why should they be mad?"

"They're mad because you couldn't watch the fire and keep it going!" Sherie snapped. "Even worse, the hunters are pissed."

"Yeah," Heather popped in. "Ralph made rules. Jack made regulations. If you can't respect them then-"

"Shut up!" Bosnia spat. "Just shut up!"

"They're the ones in charge, Bossy!" Sherie said. "Get that through your head! We're in this together. Therefore we work to get out."

"Ralph and Jack don't know shit!" she snapped. "Some chiefs they are."

"You must be nuts," Heather said with a hint of sarcasm. "They hate us now because of you."

"Or rather," Sherie added, "those of y'all that went hunting when you were supposed to keep the fire going." She shot a strict look at Brenda.

"It's not our fault!" Brenda said. "We were forced to. Even I thought it was a dumb idea. The blame should go on Bosnia and Mandy."

Bosnia's voice rose in rage. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I SHOULD GET THE BLAME? YOU FOLLOWED ME AWAY FROM THE FIRE TOO! DAMN YOU FOR BEING SUCH A LIAR!"

"But the whole thing was your idea," Brenda said. "You wanted to prove to them that you're worthy."

"Worthy enough to be considered fools thanks to you," Sherie said lowly to Brenda. She turned to Bosnia. "Now the rest of us have to watch fire at night."

"Then that's too bad!" Bosnia argued. "I made an effort to get meat for everybody and this is the thanks I get!"

She stormed off. Sherie hollered back at her.

"Well at least you can't do shit for yourself!"

By then Ralph's head poked out of the shelter nearby. "I strongly suggest you get to sleep," he told them.

"Like I care," Sherie said.

"Why are you having an attitude?" he asked.

"You don't trust us. Jack says we're useless. Piggy called us brats."

"I never said I didn't trust you," Ralph stated. "The others did mention something, but I thought hard."

"When the others made their return?" she asked.

Ralph sighed. "Look, all I can hope for is that the rest of you will act responsible."

"C'mon Sher, it's no use," Heather said. "Let's go get some sleep."

"Go without me," she told her. "I need some time to vent." Heather looked at her one last time before walking off, leaving two girls alone.

"It was Bosnia who started it," Brenda complained. "And Mandy attacked Greg."

Now Jack's head popped out of the shelter. "Shut-up! You're disturbing my sleep!"

"It's not my fault," Brenda said.

"Yes it is. You're one of the reasons why they hate us."

"Since when did they like you?" she asked.

"I made some new friends compared to you," Sherie spat.

"Oh so now you think you lost them?" Brenda snapped. "Get over it! There are better people in this world than these losers."

"It was so much fun," Sherie went on. "Hanging out with Simon, Samneric, Pablo, Tex, Greg... we created a crew. Many of the girls had more fun since we met the boys."

"So what? It's Bossy's fault why your friendships are destroyed."

"And you don't think they meant something or had actual benefits?" Sherie asked. "No wonder you were a loner at home. Now I see the real reason why people never liked you."

"What are you talking about? I don't like them anyway."

"Good, because you can't like yourself. That's what makes you a real loser."

Brenda frowned and spat, "You can't raid a camp? Can't hunt? Can't make a little kid cry? Big deal."

"Then so be it," Sherie breathed. "You've got problems after all."

Brenda's eyes were burning. She couldn't help but glare behind her tears. Why didn't Sherie believe her when she spoke the truth. The unwanted images played in her mind again.

"Why do you think I'm that bad?" she asked.

"Let's be frank and selfish," Sherie began. "You make Jack's hunters look like creeps. You made the rest of us girls look like a bunch of... bitches. You're also tearing the group apart.

Whether Bosnia started it or not, doesn't mean you had to do it too... but you just had to take part."

"That means nothing," Brenda said carelessly. "And I said it's not my fault."

"Good. Because now he really hates me."

"Who?"

"Merridew."

x-x-x

Little did they know both leaders were listening to their conversation. They looked at each other.

"I... I hit her today by accident... and she likes me?"

"Yes. No. Maybe so... I don't know."

"But she said my last name," Jack said. "Do you know what that means?"

"She thinks you hate her because of what some of the other G's did," Ralph said. "So yeah... maybe she likes you."

A smile crawled on his lips. "She must be bad to think that way," he stated, "but for now I like it."

"So you don't mind?" his friend asked, reminiscing their stroll on the beach.

"Shut-up!" the older boy snapped. "It's not what you think."

Ralph smirked. "Then why are your cheeks pink?"

"You can't see those things in the dark," Jack told him.

"Actually I can!" Ralph detested, "and you look cute in the dark."

Jack playfully hit him. "You're such a liar!"

"Look who's talking," Ralph challenged as he returned the favour.

Both boys were caught in a frenzy, wrestling and battling for dominance. Just then a growl was heard and Roger sat up, staring at them. Rapper and Pablo were still asleep, snoring away. Ralph and Jack hadn't realized what they were doing until they met his gaze. Roger wasn't the type to sleep for long; one small sound can get him up in an instant. "Sorry," they squeaked. Roger groaned and fell on his back, snoring with no care in the world. The boys looked at the sleepyheads and snickered. Their heads were out the shelter again. Both girls parted in opposite directions. They seemed to follow Sherie's figure, since she was taller.

"Where's she going?" Ralph asked as his eyes followed her direction.

"Back to her camp," Jack replied as he sat up.

"Doesn't look like it to me," Ralph said. "She's heading in a totally different direction."

"Perfect!"

Ralph gave him a funny look. "Are you okay?"

"Nope."

"I knew it! You like her don't you?"

"Shut-up man!" he hissed. "The others will hear you, especially Roger."

"Okay!" Ralph squeaked. "At least you don't mind now." He gave his companion a smirk.

Jack playfully hit him, harder this time.

"Ow! What was that for?" He felt the ground beneath his back, not knowing the other boy pushed him.

"You want another one?" Jack asked, holding his shoulders down.

"No thanks," Ralph replied. Then, without warning, he lightly slapped both Jack's cheeks. The hunter's blue eyes narrowed, looking michievous.

"You're asking for it!" the taller boy hissed. "This time I will show no mercy..."

Fortunately for them, Roger didn't wake up. The moon illuminated their features as they frolicked on the spot without any disturbances. They never called it quits. They didn't care. Neither boy tried to get some sleep like the others did; and they both knew exactly why.

They were getting older, slightly more mature that growing up would be painful without any time to play. At least they can find something to do when the sun was gone; there were no littluns to bug them over little things. Ralph had nothing to worry about, his friend was giggling and smiling while the stars looked at them. He had no explanation as to why the taller boy looked beautiful at night. His slim build was deceiving since he was very strong for a skinny kid. His belly was toned and taut muscles revealed themselves for the first time. It was strange, but he couldn't care less.

Jack was surprised. Ralph didn't look like the little boy he once was. His voice has deepened a bit, and his calves were firm. With the leader beneath him, he observed those cheekbones. One day they'll be hard and he'll look like a grown man without cheeks to poke. His fingers traced Ralph's jaw line. They trailed down his neck, chest, and stopped where another set of fingers crossed his. As their gazes met, time stood still. They haven't realized what they were doing until now. Both boys leaned in closer, not wanting to pull away or lose the moment. Their eyes sparkled and the spaces between them closed.

As the starry night consumed them, it felt just right. They were struck by lightning.


	6. A Devious Sneak Party

(06) A Devious Sneak Party

Meanwhile, Heather gathered fruits with the little girls from her group. It was going to be a typical breakfast for the morning since they ate up all the food from the wreckage along with the boys a few nights ago. They ate like there was no tomorrow till they were beyond full. The group had nothing proper to eat since; it eventually became a burden on their stomachs. Not one person stopped to remember the delicious fruits gigantic trees offered until now.

As she led the way back to their shelters, Peter, Mikey and a few other littluns looked up at her with bright eyes. She passed over mangoes, apples, pomegranates, oranges and melons. She borrowed one of their knives and cut the melons open. In no time, everyone else woke up and joined in the fruitsation. Then it was time for work.

Deliberate, stressful work.

There were loads of chores to be done. Fishing, hunting, gathering, watching the signal fire, taking care of the little kids, and the list continues. Play time was pretty much rare in their case. The only chance of taking a break is zero to nothing due to the fact that there's always another task to complete.

The chances of playing were slim; this meant more sunburns for them. One of the older boys hopped in the water to cool off while he fished. He was a very skilled fisher in comparison to the other kids, and also took pride in hunting. The sparkling water was so refreshing that he lost track of his job. Various types of fish, like tuna and salmon, swam by. There were too many of them; he had a chance to catch one since the others had missed several times. Not only did this frustrate him, but he wanted to swim for sometime. Even if that got him in trouble, water was the best distraction on a hot afternoon. Luke dropped his spear and leaned back against a boulder. As the glittering water consumed his well-toned figure, one thing stayed on his mind: He wanted rest. He really needed it. Soon from now it won't be his, and that's a typical day for the older kids.

x-x-x

Somewhere near the beach, Gen, Trishina and Ashley woke up Pablo and the twins.

"Mn. What's going on?" Pablo asked, getting up and stretching his arms.

"I can't find my sister!" Gen complained. "She's nowhere around!"

"Was she still-"

"up arguing with-"

"-the two B's?"

"I guess so," Ashley said. "But she's nowhere to be found."

"Since sunrise," Trishina chimed in.

"What if a wild boar attacked her last night?" Gen asked worriedly.

"Calm down. No such thing ever happened," Pablo assumed.

"How do you know? She's gone missing for crying out loud!" At this point Trishina was starting to panic.

Simon woke up in his shelter and crawled out. He looked at the others. "What's going on?" he asked.

"I can't find my sister," Gen replied, now teary eyed.

"We can always find her," he said assuredly.

"Somebody go and wake up the others," Sam suggested. Pablo jogged his way out while the rest of them remained in the same place.

"We will find Sherie, wherever she is," Eric said.

"I hope so," Gen said. By the time the others made it, they made their departure into the forest.

"Um, shouldn't we call assembly?" Greg asked Sam from behind. "Everybody should know what's happening."

"Not yet," he replied. "Only if we don't find her."

"But she should be around somewhere," Greg said.

"Of course she would," Heather said. Tex shot a glance at her.

"Were you both arguing with the two B's?" he asked.

"Yes. Sorry if it disturbed your sleep in any way. I didn't mean for that to happen."

"Maybe Bossy will never learn," Greg assumed.

At that moment the conversing stopped. Everyone had a problem with Bosnia. Her attitude, disobedience and impulsiveness made them feel rather uncomfortable.

x-x-x

Back at camp, Jack leaned against a palm tree with his arms crossed. He waited impatiently for many of the little girls to leave their camp behind. His 'gang' members (the usual suspects) grew weary overtime.

"When will they leave?" Rapper asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "I really wanna go inside there."

"What for?" Will asked.

"I need some proof on something," he said.

The others looked at each other.

"What if we get caught?" Rapper asked.

"We won't," Jack snapped. "Don't worry about it."

"But is it against the rules?" Luke asked.

"Not really. You're with me, remember?"

As soon as the girls disappeared in their separate directions, the boys snuck onto the girls' property.

"What do we do now?" Rapper asked.

"Search the shelters for a black book," Jack said. "Will and Luke, keep watch." While Roger went in the left shelter, Rapper snuck in the right one. Jack spotted one in behind. He cautiously crept his way towards it, hoping that he doesn't step on anything valuable. Only Heaven knows what they do around here.

As he crawled his way in, he felt disgusted at the sight of pink flowers. The girls must've found some 'pinky' place on this island, only to bring it with them. Ugh! He quickly shook off the thought and looked around it's interior. No matter how small it is, there were several clothes piled carelessly on the ground. He picked up the piles and looked under them. There was no sign of it.

"Hey! I found it!" Rapper beamed from the shelter he occupied. Jack got on his hands and knees and crawled out. He ran over to where Rapper was.

"Good. Pass it over."

"But I found it first," Rapper said, holding it against his chest.

"Whose book is that?" Will asked.

Rapper quickly opened it to see a photo of Sherie, Gen and what looks like their other siblings.

"Oooh! This must be Cherries!"

They burst into laughter. Jack grabbed it from him.

"Well, at least I'll get the chance to read it. Besides, her clique won't be back for a long time."

They went straight to their camp and read her 'Deepest, Darkest Secrets'. This would be interesting. Better yet, Jack will get the truth. Roger wasn't looking forward to it though, as he'd rather throw rocks at a few girls this time. That would've been more worthwhile than reading a useless piece of trash.

"This is getting boring," Will said, monotonous. "Where's the juicy stuff?"

Jack flipped through the pages. "I don't know."

"Then check it, or rip it!" Roger growled. "We ain't got all day!"

"Yo, Roger man. Calm down will ya?"

Roger cocked his head to one side and said nothing more.

"Okay, now this is nothing. I swear this is bound to take all day," Luke complained.

"Relax man, it's somewhere near the end."

Will's prediction seemed accurately correct. Their eyes widened as they saw Jack's name.

"Oh my god..."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Rapper exclaimed. "This girl doesn't know you properly."

"Maybe she likes it rough," Roger said. "Like the time you hit her." He smirked and Will snickered.

Jack lost his vibe and rolled his eyes. It always annoyed him when he traces back to events like that.

"Alright so... maybe she doesn't like you anymore," Rapper said.

"At least she doesn't," Roger stated. "So she won't be in our way one bit."

Will smirked at the comment. "I guess you're right. Things won't be normal again." Just as he glanced at his friend he received an icy glare.

"I-I-I didn't mean it li-like that!" Will stuttered. "I swear!"

"As long as you don't," Jack said in a low voice. "Whoever messes around will be sorry."

"Um, wait a second," Rapper probed. "Since when did you like her that bad?"

"She's ugly for one," Roger reminded him. "All the girls are ugly."

Jack made no response. He didn't care what they had to say. They're his friends, yes, but sometimes they'll get hyper and start doing things erratically. Therefore, he wasn't in the mood to play Daddy this time.

"It's the curse of the black book," Rapper spoke. "Jack has become obsessed!"

At this point they got hyper while Jack continued reading, making random rants and shouting non-stop. They ran in a circle around him, chanting, "The book, the book, the book is a curse! The book, the book, the book is a curse!" There was a bunch of little boys who came along and joined in the ring. They ran faster and the chant sped up.

"This isn't working," Will whispered in Roger's ear.

"Scream," the buff boy suggested. "Pass it on."

In less than a minute they were screaming and shouting.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" they shouted. Jack rolled his eyes and kept on reading. He nearly told them to shut-up, yet he knew they were trying to take him away from reading what a girl wrote about him. They weren't going to stop any sooner, so he decided to ignore. The rest of them were quiet, and the littluns walked away at this point.

Five boys remained on the spot.

Just then a weak gasp came from outside and interrupted them. The boys looked in it's direction. There, Piggy stood with his usual straight-faced expression.

"What are you guys doing?" he asked.

"None of your business thank you very much," Jack said sarcastically.

"Is that a black book?" he asked.

"Go away!" he demanded.

"Why? You guys are interested in some girl stuff?"

"Shut-up Piggy!" Roger shouted.

"Yeah fatass!" Luke teased.

"I'm telling Ralph," he said as he walked away. Before he could make another move the boys were already surrounding him.

"Do that, and you're gonna regret it," Jack threatened.

Piggy smiled. Jack expression grew more stern.

"You think I'm joking, do you?"

"He's just retarded," Luke said. "He's trying to ruin our fun."

Rapper dapped Jack's shoulder. "Lala's got a point. Let's go back."

Roger snarled like a bulldog scaring Piggy away.

"I think he's gonna tell his husband," Will said.

"Who else but Ms. Piggy?"

They laughed their heads off and resumed to their business. Now that they've made a new discovery, it's time to put these girls where they belong.

x-x-x

Sherie woke up and yawned as she stretched. She got up and walked around this very part of the island, which she assumed was not yet discovered. It had a waterfall that was followed by a stream and a pool. It also had a cave behind it, with boulders to walk on. Birds, butterflies and bumblebees were the little territorial creatures this area consists of. It also had a strong variety of fruits: Pineapples, mangoes, grapes, raspberries, sweet sap, oranges and pomegranates. The pool was surrounded by a lush of colourful flowers.

She walked out of the area and jogged her way up to the mountain. As soon as she made it, she picked up some logs nearby and tossed them in the fire. The flame expanded itself, as if it grew the tendency to burn.

'Where's the smoke?' she asked herself silently.

She tossed more skinny logs in the middle of the flame. No smoke rose. She smacked her head in worry.

"Great! I don't know how to do this part right."

"Exactly."

To her surprise, she opened her fingers to see Jack. She felt her heart stop. Her world stopped spinning.

"Are you trying to burn up this area?" he asked.

"No. I wanna make a signal, but I don't know how to start it."

He pulled up some grass and let it fall in the fire. Her attention was fixed on his illuminated features.

'He always looks good behind fire,' she thought.

"I'm very disappointed," he said.

"Why?" she asked quickly, snapping back to reality.

"You weren't paying any attention to your job," he said sternly. Arrogance was written all over his face now. The rest of his features were masked by it.

Although he sounded harsh, she tried to hide the fear of losing to his battle. There was nothing wrong with putting bad feelings behind.

"Are you colonel or something?" she asked.

"No. But I am strict, so take that as a warning."

'He's so unfair,' she thought. 'Maybe Simon's right; what you see is what you get, right?'

"Well, at least I know how to make smoke now," she said with a smile. The slender boy didn't seem to hear her.

"For your punishment, you're watching fire tonight."

That wasn't something she wanted to know, let alone expect. She was sure this had something to do with what the others did before.

"I'm punished? You gotta be nuts to think like that. Why am I punished?"

"Because you don't have a partner," he explained. "You're late for fire watch and next time don't say your leader's nuts."

"Well, I have every right to speak my mind," she stated boldly.

"Then let me veto you."

She looked puzzled. What does 'veto' mean?

"You're officially watching the fire all week, day and night," Jack said.

Sherie frowned. "This is so unfair! It makes no sense!"

"Good." He smirked. "One more word and I'll raise up the stakes."

"You suck," Sherie spat.

"Then that's too bad," Jack said. "As long as I'm here you won't have another chance."

"You really suck, Jack. These punishments are highly unnecessary. Makes no got damn sense."

He walked up to her and poked her chest.

"Life isn't fair. Deal with it." His mouth was now at her ear. "I make the rules here along with Ralph, not you. So whatever you choose to do, watch your back."

"Shut-up." She was utterly annoyed at this point.

"Hm. I guess this calls for another raise."

"Don't. You. Dare."

"You're 12. 12 plus 12 is 24." He smiled at the idea.

"Perfect! You're on fire watch for 24 days, starting NOW!"

She was startled by the sudden rise in his voice. "Fine, I'll watch it for the rest of the week," she said finally. Jack slowly shook his head.

"Penalties don't have deductions," he said. "Sorry."

"Why do you have to be so mean?" she snapped.

"Because that's how I get around sweetie," he cooed sarcastically.

"Fine then. Be like that."

With that said, she turned on her heel and walked off.

"Walking away won't change anything!" he hollered.

She stopped dead in her tracks and looked at him. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Hit me," he said as he approached her.

She raised an eyebrow. Jack wasn't that serious, was he?

"Since when would I want to hit you?" she asked in hysteria. "That shit was just an accident anyway."

"So? Just do it. Return the favour."

"I'm not a dog, you know."

Deep down, the blond didn't care what happens. He was surprised to know that she didn't suspect anything. She was falling for his tricks, and she didn't know it. He disguised his thoughts with an evil smirk... but his brows were neutral that she'd think it's just a silly grin. The tall girl had no idea he was searching for something she possessed.

"So you like it when people hit you?" he interrogated. "I'm not surprised."

"I don't. You already know that," she replied.

"Right... I thought you were strong."

"What does getting physical have to do with strength?" she asked, losing her patience.

"A whole lot," he replied, "and you don't have it."

"You don't know me," she countered in defense.

"How sad," Jack said nonchalantly. "I guess you're weak after all..."

_Slap!_

Sherie said nothing. All she did was just stand there in shock. Normally she wouldn't bring herself to hit someone unless she was being attacked.

He smiled at her while rubbing his cheek. "I guess this means you're watching the fire tonight, not twenty-four days."

"You've got to be kidding me," she said, trying to gather her thoughts.

"Consider yourself lucky," he smirked as he brushed against her shoulder. She watched him from a distance as he went back in the forest again.

"I didn't mean to!" she hollered. Strange, was he doing her a real favour?

-x-x-x-

Samneric gathered branches that were left unattended on the mountain. They had the silliest idea in mind.

"I think we should teach Piggy how to hunt," Sam began.

"What makes you think that'll work?" Eric asked.

"We'll poke him with these while he sleeps," Sam stated.

"When?"

"In the middle of the night. That way, he'll believe the monster exists."

"Like the one Jack described three nights ago?" Eric inquired.

"Yes. We have to make him believe it."

Eric smiled at the thought of it. Jack has told them a scary story a while back, causing one of the little boys to cry. Just then another idea came to mind.

"Since Piggy is nearly the girlie type, why don't we scare the girls too?"

"I really don't know about that," Sam replied as he tossed the last branch on the signal fire. "We might get in trouble. Remember what Ralph said?"

"Oh yeah..."

They sat near the signal fire and continued their conversation when Pablo arrived with a spear.

"You guys should be hunting," he told them.

"Hunting?"

"Right now?"

"Yes. Jack's waiting for us. Besides, the girls should be watching this right now." He pointed to the fire.

Disappointed, the twins looked at each other with a heavy sigh before getting up and leaving the fire behind.

As they went in the forest Will tossed two sharpened sticks at them.

"We're gonna catch a pig today," Jack announced.

"Then we'll get to eat!" Steve beamed. Roger and Rapper gave him a strange look before glancing at Jack.

"Yeah... so..."

"Let's go!" Jack hollered as the others followed him to the pig run.

-x-x-x-

A few hours later, back on the mountain Trishina and Ashley sat around the fire and talked.

"I can't believe we haven't found her yet," Trishina said.

"Relax. She's fine. Besides, I don't think she'd get herself hurt that badly."

"But she's my cousin!" she snapped. "Anything can happen. We don't really know what's out there."

"Good point," Ashley said. "I remember hearing some little kid mention a monster or beastie...whatever that is."

"A beastie? There's no such thing."

"You sure?" Ashley asked. "Many of the littluns are talking about it. Even Matt."

"It's just their imagination," Trishina concluded. "Little kids have wild imaginations. Sometimes they can't control them."

"I guess so."

Just then something popped up from behind the bushes with a howl. Both girls jumped up. Chances are the monster did exist, but they didn't want to believe it.

It was just a fantasy; just a rock.

They stood still, staring at the end of the forest where the howling sounds came from. Nothing showed up.

"Um... Ash, I think this place is haunted."

"Don't be crazy Trish," Ashley said. "Besides... I think I'm starting to follow your train of thought."

"Why don't we go see what it is," Trishina suggested.

"Okay."

They tiptoed towards the rustling bush when Jack, Roger and the rest of their gang jumped up from behind it with sharpened sticks, howling loudly with opaque faces.


	7. The Beast is Born

(07) The Beast is Born

Their eyes widened as they ran down the beach. Taken up by their panic, they ran straight to their camp and grabbed their collection of rocks in the third shelter.

Seeing what was happening, Simon got up and jogged his way to their camp.

The girls threw their rocks in the direction of the hunters. Neither of them had a clue what they were doing. Simon went between both forces and held the girls back.

"What are you guys doing?" he asked them.

Jack and the others stopped in their tracks, only to realize that the girls weren't a bunch of pigs.

Trishina and Ashley dropped their rocks, only to realize that the boys weren't a group of monsters.

"I thought they were..." Will's voice trailed off.

"Pigs," Jack filled-in.

"That was scary," Ashley whispered in her friend's ear.

"I know. Just a while ago I thought they were monsters."

Simon shook his head. "Monsters don't exist," he told them.

"But the littluns are always talking about it," Ashley stated.

"Then that's their problem," Roger said lowly. Steve shuddered at the sound of his voice. No one else realized it, though.

"Look, I think it would be better if you both go back to the signal fire," Simon said.

"Nuh-uh," Trishina spat. "There's no way I'm going back up there."

"Especially after what happened," Ashley added. "Sherie's gone missing yesterday."

"But I said there's no such thing as monsters," Simon repeated.

"Hm. The monster must've ate her up," Jack lied. "I found her dead body up on the mountain earlier."

"What?" Trishina shrieked.

"A monster on this island sounds... rather creepy," Steve said.

"Monsters are fake," Larry blurted.

"No they aren't!" Matt hollered from the second shelter. "I saw one last night."

"Where?" Jack asked.

"It was somewhere near your camp," he said.

"Oh come on lil'bro," Ashley started. "You know monsters aren't real."

"Yes they are!" Matt shouted. "I swear! It was furry! Its claws were long. To make matters worse, it was gonna scratch Ralph!"

"No silly," Rudy interrupted. "It was gonna cut Piggy's guts open and roast him in the campfire! Remember?"

"Y'all are so stupid," Tyrick spat icily. "If a monster was on this island, do you think Ralph and Piggy would still be walking right now?"

"This island is cursed!" Matt panicked. "Somebody set it on fire!"

Ashley smacked and shook her head. Her little brother was having one of his moments again. The hunters were rather entertained by this. They listened intently as the three little musketeers had their debate on monsters.

"So we smoke it out," Rudy continued with a chuckle. "That would be a relief."

"Monsters aren't real! Stop acting retarded!" Tyrick shouted.

"But I saw one! I swear!"

"Ever wondered what happened to Sherie?" Rudy asked.

"Are you deaf? Jack already said what happened!" Matt shouted.

Jack couldn't help but laugh his head off. He really enjoyed listening to this ongoing debate the 'three little musketeers' had. He laughed like crazy until an icy comment slipped off Tyrick's tongue.

"Jack knows monsters aren't real. If he thinks they are, then that makes him even more stupid than the two of you combined."

His laughter ended in an instant.

"Stop calling me stupid!" Matt cried.

"It's not my fault monsters exist here," Rudy argued. "Besides, why are you calling me stupid?"

"Because you are," Tyrick said with that same icy tone in his voice.

"You just made fun of our leader!" Rudy snapped. "Look who's stupid now."

"Shut up," Tyrick said lowly. "He's the one that turned y'all stupid in the first place. Thinking monsters exist and all..."

"I'm telling!" Matt complained.

"Go ahead, cry baby," he teased.

"I'm telling Ralph on you," Rudy said. "Then I'm gonna tell Jack."

Tyrick rolled his eyes.

"As if they can do anything about this monster of yours," he said sarcastically. "I hope it eats you up tonight."

"You're so freakin' mean!" Rudy shouted at him. "I swear I'm gonna tell!"

"I swear I'm gonna tell... Ralph! Jack! Tyrick made fun of meeeee!" he mocked.

Just then Jack stooped down to his level and peeked in their shelter. Tyrick still had an icy glare in his eyes.

"Listen up! I'm not stupid, so stop talking like that."

"Okay," Tyrick said arrogantly with a mean smile on his face.

"Do I look like I'm smiling with you?" Jack asked threateningly.

"No..."

"Good. Now stop talking like that or else you're gonna get it."

"Get what?"

Jack was about to slap him when Simon caught his arm in the air.

"What are you doing?" he snapped at the other boy.

"It's not gonna solve anything," Simon said assertively. "He's only a little boy. Besides, hitting him is not gonna make him stop."

"Yes it will!" Jack argued. "That'll show him who's in charge!"

"No it won't. He might spit on you in the future."

"It's discipline! He'll learn the hard way!"

"No he won't, Jack. Look at him. Do you really think hitting is gonna make things better? I can tell it won't make him stop."

"Yes it will if you could just let me go!"

He was yanking his arm while Simon tightened his grip. There's no way things could get more worse than this. He has already hit a girl, and that's enough trouble to stand. However, if he should hit a boy then he'd probably get the reverse in return.

Tyrick made random rants about him when Jack's temper flew out of control.

"Hit him like you hit Sherie!" Roger hollered.

"Simon's ruining the fun," Will groaned. "You should get him out of the way."

The wise boy narrowed his green eyes. "Don't be stupid," Simon told him.

"Are you calling me stupid?" Jack snapped. The shorter boy still stood there while the taller one pulled harder, trying to gain control of his own hand.

Tyrick peeked out, mentally finding a way to escape.

"Just let me go!" Jack shouted.

"I won't. Not until you calm down."

Jack rolled his eyes and cut off his attention from Tyrick.

"Since when would I calm down, let alone listen to you?"

"You're supposed to be an example," Simon explained.

"Well guess what? You're an example of a gay freak! Let me go for Pete's sake!"

"But Terrance and Spinner used to beat you up at military because they hated your attitude. Tyrick might do the same."

"Attitude? You want attitude?"

He made a fake chuckle before continuing.

"Bastion used to call you batty!"

The hunters laughed hysterically. Simon was nearly taken back by that comment, but his grip on Jack's arm only got stronger. An insult wouldn't hurt, right?

"Well I was only making a point," he said. "If you hit him-"

"Shut the hell up and mind your own business."

"But you might lose-"

"I said shut up before I-"

He paused and glared at Simon. The hunters were egging him on, getting more and more impatient.

"You know you're stupid and idiotic, don't you?"

Simon slowly shook his head. "You could easily lose your respect. That's what I was trying to tell you."

"Liar! You were gonna call me a loser and tell me what to do."

"But aggression doesn't cut it for a good leader!"

Furious, Jack got on his feet and slapped Simon hard across the face.

Tyrick had already crawled out of his shelter and dashed off. No one realized when he left. Jack took a quick peek in the shelter and saw no sign of Tyrick.

"Great! He's gone thanks to you!"

To his embarrassment despite doing the right thing, Simon said nothing. He held his cheek and turned to walk when Jack came and blocked his way.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Simon just looked blankly at him.

"Next time," he sneered, "don't tell me what to do. You're not my boss and you'll never be. Understand?"

Simon shook his head and shifted as Jack shifted with him.

"And secondly, don't call me stupid. Lastly, I'm not sorry."

Simon took a dash not wanting to hear anymore of his rude comments. They've hit him very hard and, despite the tears that rolled down his cheeks he was glad. Glad that Tyrick didn't get hit.

x-x-x

Samneric were leaning against the 'clubhouse' for the longest while. They snuck out during the hunt, including Pablo, Greg, and Tony. They were in the middle of playing besides the twins.

"Why aren't you guys doing anything?" Billy asked.

"We're scared-"

"-of a monster."

"Th-there's a monster?" Billy asked shakily.

"Yes," they replied in unison.

"Where is it? What does it do? When does it show up?"

"Slow down," Eric said sarcastically. "You're going-"

"-too fast," Sam filled in.

"But this monster... it must be creepy."

"Yes it is," they said in one voice.

"This is bad. What if we don't make it back? I wanna go home."

"We all wanna go home," Sam said.

"The girls have to keep the fire going today," Eric said.

"I hope so," Sam spat. "The G's on the job yesterday did very bad."

"I know. They made Ralph very upset."

"Remember last night's argument?" a boy named Sheraton asked from a high branch.

"Yeah. Sherie was pissed off. That's the last time we heard her."

"I don't know," said Pablo. "We searched for her, couldn't find her, and..."

"And what?"

"I don't believe in monsters."

Just then Tyrick showed up, out of breath as a result of running.

"Actually," he managed to say, "Jack said he found her dead somewhere."

"What?"

The twins looked at each other wide-eyed before glancing back at him.

"So you're saying he found her dead and just left her there?" Sheraton asked.

"Sounds like it," Tyrick said, regaining his composure.

"I guess Gen is gonna have a sleepless night," Pablo stated.

"That sucks," Sam said. "We have to locate her body and bury it somewhere."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Eric asked.

"Ask Jack where he saw it."

"I don't know about that," Tony spoke. "While we were hunting he never mentioned anything about it."

"That means she's not dead," Greg said. "She must be around somewhere."

"What if the beast ate her up?" Billy asked worriedly. The small boy began to shudder.

"There's no such thing," Greg told him.

"Yeah seriously," Tony said. "It's just your imagination. Nightmares I suppose..."

"Stop!" Billy panicked. "Everybody's gonna disappear if we don't get back to camp!"

Tyrick smacked and shook his head. Everywhere he went, kids brought up a monster as the main topic. He really hated it, even though some of them didn't believe it was real.

x-x-x

Sherie crawled out of her hiding place. She's become obsessed with the area that she forgot about everyone else. She didn't care much about watching the signal fire, although tonight was her night so she had a task to complete.

Her secret space on the island was home. With no one around to annoy her about things that didn't matter, she felt good.

She pushed a few long leaves out of her way when a teary-eyed Matt ran and hugged her legs. Luckily, Matt wasn't aware of the secret behind her.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"T-Ty-rick m-m-made fun of m-me." He now sobbed uncontrollably, unable to say another word. She took his hand and walked deeper into the forest, only to come across Simon on the way.

"You're alive," he said, "I thought you were dead."

"Me? Dead?" Sherie was utterly confused. She pointed to herself and looked from side to side. "Who'd say that?"

"The person who did this..."

He moved his hand away from his bruised cheek.

"Whoa! What happened to you?" she asked as she approached him.

"It's Jack. He hit me even though he was gonna hit Tyrick, but I stopped him."

Sherie nodded. "Tyrick can be very judgmental when he's ready. Nothing can stop him from talking the way he does sometimes."

"Well, I felt intimidated anyway."

"Where did this happen?" she inquired.

"At your camp, not too far from mine."

Sherie was about to take a dash when Simon caught her arm.

"Don't bother," he told her. "It's no use. What happened is in the past now."

"What are you talking about? This guy's got problems, Simon! I don't think leaving it right there will change anything."

"So you think starting a fight with him will help?"

"What's better than being helpless? He hit me just the other day. A kid like him should be in juvenile."

She has already forgotten that they're very far from home and civilization. Reality hasn't hit her hard just yet.

"But there's no adults here," Simon stated.

Sherie cringed at the thought of it. She started making mental plans aloud.

"Fine. I'm gonna borrow Bosnia's knife. Besides, I'm on fire watch tonight. If he ever comes around then-"

"Carrying a knife with you is not gonna help," Simon pointed out. "It'll make matters worse."

"But he has one," Sherie protested. "If he plans to hurt someone with it, that person will be me. Or maybe Bossy..."

"Look, we both know he's a bully but revenge won't cut it."

"Fine," she sighed. "So be it then."

Giving up, she pulled Matt along with her towards camp. She came to a sudden stop and turned to look at him.

"He's the one who said I was dead," she spoke. "That means he's gonna hurt me, even though he saw me earlier today and acted friendly."

Simon was slightly shocked at what he heard. He nodded at her comment before she trotted her way back to camp with Matt. He turned and jogged up to the mountain. He knew Ralph would be there and the need to talk persuaded him.

x-x-x

As the afternoon moved on, many of the small kids played in the sand as usual. Some of them played splash games in the water and picked up any random fruit they found on the ground. Although it's no longer good due to its bitterness, they still ate it since their little bellies can take it. They had no judgment as to what's good from what's not. This often led to diarrhea or vomiting, but it wasn't serious.

Some of them took the risk to swing from rope-like vines. Others managed to climb on trees and dove into the ocean below. While the older children kept busy all this time, none of the younger members were aware of danger... let alone what was out there.

They never ran too far from camp. Instead, they took their favourite shortcut to the clubhouse. Those that didn't keep up would probably be lost, and if that's not enough, they'd sit and wait till the conch was blown. On numerous occasions, Piggy had told them not to go in the forest by themselves. Still, these little boys and girls ignored him and did whatever pleased them. It was a matter of time when Simon and the twins found seven of them in a pinky place a few nights ago. They had wandered off after assembly, not sure where they were going. Rudy led six other boys in an attempt to demolish the area, but their plan failed when wisdom caught them.

Most of the time they were the very first set of people to get up by sunrise. While the little girls talked about their hair and played hand games, the boys would run down the beach and start imitating their favourite heroes or villains. Of course, anybody would think trouble is up ahead; but these children wanted to live while they had the chance.  
About an hour later the playing stopped. The afternoon sun scorched angrily as it glared at them, giving sunburns as a way to make their stomachs complain and wail. Like a strict parent, it whipped its rays at them mercilessly. It ignored their cries and pleas to stop; for noonday was the best time to vent. As if they knew the drill, they each ran into their separate shelters and either sat around or took a nap. That was a typical day for them; a day filled with fun and play. They loved it here, running wild and having fun in the sun. They wouldn't help to build shelters, they didn't have to hunt. They had more freedom than they've ever imagined, and that was all that mattered.

Their lives were simple.

Ralph was busy helping Heather and Gen set up the fire. The three of them were grabbing logs and dropped them atop one another. It wasn't long until Piggy started ranting about Trishina and Ashley with their bad job.

"They're both irresponsible," he began. "They decided to leave it behind and let it go out."

"Well, that's kinda unfair," said Heather. "But I don't think they're the type to leave a task unfinished. I mean, back at school they always got their homework done."

"Then what would make them leave this behind?" Piggy asked, pointing at the ash and fuel.

"Maybe they were thirsty and got lost on the way back," Heather assumed. "Besides, Sherie disappeared and many of the little kids would never shut up about this beastie."

"They never disappeared," Gen broke in.

"So why would-"

"There's no reason to ask, mind you," Gen interrupted rudely.

"But look at what the other girls did," Piggy interjected. "They went to hunt when it wasn't necessary."

"So are you trying to tell me that just because they left it we're gonna leave it too?"

"It has something to do with responsibility," Piggy said.

"Okay so you're jumping to conclusions then," Gen spat. "I can't hunt for crying out loud! What reason would I have to leave the fire behind?"

Piggy looked sideways and crossed his arms. "That depends on you."

"Are you calling me irresponsible?" Gen asked challengingly.

"No. I-"

"Then why can't you just shut up about my friends and mind your own business?" she snapped. "Seriously, just shut up."

"I was making a point but you had to interrupt," Piggy said.

"Then why don't you watch the got damn fire yourself if you can't ever trust us to do it?" she argued.

"Because I have asthma. I can't stay near smoke. My auntie said it would do bad to my lungs."

"Great," Gen ranted angrily. "Just great! My little brother has asthma and smoke doesn't do him bad!"

"You don't even know what you're talking about," Piggy told her. "Certain things can trigger it, like dust and carpets."

She got on her feet and trotted down the mountain without listening any longer. Piggy sighed at what looked like defeat, but he knew he won somehow. Ralph looked up at him from where he squatted.

"You realized what you just did, right?"

"That's her problem," Piggy said. "If she had respect she wouldn't talk the way she did."

"But Piggy, we already know what happened. Just because it took place before doesn't mean it'll happen again."

Just then Simon arrived and tapped Ralph's shoulder.

"Call assembly," he said.

"Why?"

"Just do it," Simon insisted. "There's an issue on the rise."

"I'll get the conch," Heather said as she ran in a hurry. Simon was about to follow her when Ralph stopped him in his tracks.

"What's with that mark on your face?" he asked concernedly.

"Jack hit me today," Simon said bluntly. "So because of that I'm gonna sit next to you."

He decided to say nothing more after that. Ralph looked from him to Piggy, then up at the orange sun that would soon set. Sure enough, things won't be as easy as it seems.


	8. Assembly Wreckage

(08) Assembly Wreckage

That evening many of the kids showed up at the sound of the conch. They all sat somewhere around the fire and waited intently for what he was about to say. At first he was thinking very hard. There's so much kids around, each with their different personalities and attitudes. There's so much kids to count, chances are he'd lose track of his numbers if they started moving. There's so much kids that can be split into two factions. It was no longer boys and girls. It became something else, something he could not yet comprehend. It was really starting to worry him, due to the fact that kids--just mere kids--can easily damage someone or something else.

He had received several complaints today.

Jack had intimidated and hit Simon. Rudy complained about Tyrick's rude attitude. Peter and John whined about their sand castles and how Roger and Rapper destroyed them. Brenda stole Patterson's military jacket and hung it on a high tree. Billy ranted about the existence of a monster. Mandy was making fun of Mindy and Jenna. Trishina and Ashley abandoned the signal fire. Gen and Piggy argued and now... at this present time, he really didn't want to bring these issues up.

And if he didn't, how would he look as chief?

"I've noticed there has been some problems lately," he began. "First of all, some people don't seem to have any respect for others nonetheless."

A bunch of hands were raised in the air. Everyone wanted to speak without giving him the chance to finish. Ralph shook his head and all the hands fell back down.

"Work isn't getting done, playtime is no longer fun. Some don't know when to use the bathroom, some sneak onto others' property and interfere with their possessions, and sadly, a bunch of you are lacking respect for one another. I strongly suggest you stick with your buddies and avoid making trouble for once."

He looked around and the group remained silent.

"On another note, I don't understand what's up with this 'beastie', or monster in general. We already know monsters don't exist. They're not real. Pigs and boars are the only creatures on this island. That's it."

Simon shook his head in disagreement. Although Ralph didn't take notice, Simon peered around as though he was in the school auditorium. He really wished he could protest about creatures right there and then, but the mood was eerie and it could intensify anytime. Simon has figured out one thing: they're all creatures on this island. Creatures that use their instinct and act on impulse. 'I'll tell them when I have the chance, but not now,' he thought. 'It's very dark and anything can happen.' He shuddered where he sat.

At this point the rest of the kids argued. Some tried to protest against Ralph's views while others got up and reached for the conch.

"Can I have it?" Bosnia asked. "There's something I wanna bring up."

"Ignore her man," Jack told him. "It's now or never. I need the conch right now."

Ralph shifted away from them. What's the use of getting a point across when others refused to listen?

"There's a beastie in the forest!" Mikey beamed.

"Some jerkoff stole my pocket knife!" Luke complained.

"Yeah, things are disappearing all over," Larry said. "Oh and can you tell those two little gits to stop poking me?" He pointed to Asia and Kelly. They both had little sticks and started poking him again. Ralph brought them to Jack's attention before resuming to his concerns.

"All I'm saying is that this has got to stop," Ralph announced. "We can't have too many kids stealing things and just running wild. Whoever is spreading rumours, giving trouble, sneaking around scaring the littluns at night, please stop! The same thing goes for pranks and bullying. If you happen to be the one responsible, snap out of it! I can't stand it as much as you do. Got it?"

Everyone nodded their heads. They raised their hands for the conch. This was more than a shocker to him. The majority of kids needed to speak up. At least they weren't making an argument out of it.

Before he could pass it on Jack grabbed it.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Shut up and let me speak," he whispered.

"That's so unfair!" Bosnia shouted over everyone else. "I asked for it first and instead he gets it. What a rip off!"

"Girl be quiet," Heather told her. "He has the conch now so let him speak."

"You'll have your turn soon," Tex added.

"Y'all suck," she said. "Suck, suck, suck."

"Shut up and let him speak," Tony told her.

"Over my dead body," Bosnia retorted.

"Bossy, you're acting like a retard," Tony said with a rude tone. "You know that, right?"

"Shut up square face," she spat.

"I guess she is a retard after all," Greg told him. They both laughed, leading her to pick up a small rock and throw it at them. Unfortunately it hit Rusty in the nose. Piggy, Sam and Eric ran to his attention, while the rest of the kids looked in shock and glared at her.

"What the hell is your problem?" Will asked.

"Uh, they're my problem!" she replied, pointing in Greg and Tony's direction.

"Yeah honestly, his nose might be broken," Piggy told her.

"Shut up fatass!" she retaliated.

"Looks like someone didn't listen to Ralph's speech," Andy said sarcastically. "Now what's gonna happen to Rusty?"

"We need a hospital!" Mandy shouted.

"We're extremely far from a hospital!" Piggy snapped. "Get that through your head!"

At this point Bosnia started making rants while the rest of the kids, besides Jack and Ralph, cussed her out.

"You know, you're extremely stupid."

"You shouldn't even be here."

"Bossy yearns for too much attention."

"Yeah seriously."

"We should throw rocks at her-"

"-that way she'll know how it feels!"

She slowly shook her head as the rants continued. "Y'all could try whatever crap you want and I promise you, it won't work."

The kids lost their focus and started cursing at Bosnia. It turned into a verbal war-zone that many have forgotten the purpose of assembly. They no longer remembered that Jack needed to speak. To make matters worse, many of the older kids were on their feet throwing harsh insults at her. Ralph held his head and stared at the dark, starless sky. He wanted to ask the heavens why trouble had to flare up. It was frustrating and, in his role as leader, the turn of events took a toll on him. Being a boy in charge was more stressful than he thought. Maybe he should take a break or put it to rest.

Jack was calm and patient at first. He lightly rubbed the shell in his hands, hoping the kids would tone down and save their rants for later. Minutes went by, and the louder they got, the harder the rubbing became. He came close to scratching the conch, hard enough to mark his territory. His face grew red with rage, and his soft blue eyes turned to ice. None of them took notice of it, though.

"Bossy, you just hurt a little boy."

"Extremely stupid of you. I'm very disappointed."

"Yeah go to hell!"

"Get out of here!"

Ralph was utterly disappointed. Even though he was about to give the conch to someone else other than Bosnia herself, Jack grabbed it from him. It wasn't his fault that trouble started on its own. Bosnia initiated problems in the first place. She's done it before when she let the fire go out and attempted to hunt.

His thoughts were interrupted as John tapped his shoulder. He looked at him.

"When is assembly gonna finish?" he inquired. "I'm getting tired and Jack hasn't said a word yet."

"I'll shut them up," Ralph replied. "Then we could finish up."

Unfortunately that wasn't easy. Most kids were on their feet now, and the older ones were making an attempt to fight Bosnia. It wasn't long until Jack angrily blew the conch. The mass group of kids silenced, looked around and resumed to their battle versus Bosnia. The noise level gradually rose as he came up with one more solution that his father would use back at home.

Anger and aggression.

"EVERYBODY SHUT THE HELL UP!"

All the kids stopped their battles and looked in his direction. Even Ralph looked at him apprehensively. He looked very angry and his blue eyes, now icy, were fiery enough to pierce through them. Without hesitation, they quickly sat down and held their attention on him. Jack roughly placed the shell in Ralph's hands before he continued. He knew that somehow he would smash it if he still held it.

"First of all, I forgot what I was gonna say so let me rant with no interruptions. Y'all refuse to wait for the conch, let alone give me the chance to speak. Two minutes is all I ask for, and yet you all think it's fair to make an issue out of it. Look at what it caused. Rusty's nose got smashed by a rock."

"It was small," Bosnia said, trying to find an excuse.

"Bossy had the mind to throw it," Rapper explained with a hint of sarcasm.

"The girl doesn't have good aim," Roger commented.

"That rock was meant to hit two blockheads," Bosnia said nonchalantly, pointing to Tony and Greg.

"It's all her fault this crap happened!" Brenda complained.

"Well, at least not all boys are the stronger ones," Lexy said.

A few kids laughed at her comment. Others glared at them. They felt the need to put their verbal attacks on her too. Before they could start more trouble Jack spoke up.

"How exactly would you feel if I gave you a sock in the face right now?" he asked, intimidating. "I'd be glad to break your noses if that's what you'd like, right?"

The laughter stopped. All that was heard was Rusty's muffled sobs in the background.

"Exactly like I thought. Y'all should be happy I can't do that yet, let alone ask what the hell is wrong wit'chu Bossy? I had to wait for years before I could say something. You should be ashamed of yourself for thinking about throwing a rock in the first place. That only proves you refused to listen to what Ralph said earlier. I mean, would you like it if someone did that to you?"

"No..."

"Good, 'cause if I was chief I would've kicked you out long time ago."

Bosnia was about to retaliate but Lexy stopped her.

"The same thing goes for everyone else," he continued. "An eye for an eye, an ear for an ear. Should this bullshit happen again you're gonna regret it. All of you! Perhaps you won't wake up tomorrow morning because some idiot comes up with something stupid to do, which ends up killing you. Is that how creeps like you get around? Huh?"

Most of the kids shuddered in their places. They couldn't believe what he was saying. He did happen to be more aggressive than Ralph, but the only difference is that he's ready to put it on somebody.

And that's exactly what they're afraid of.

"I suggest you all think about this before getting to sleep, because honestly, assembly was a train wreck thanks to you."

"But-"

"No buts!"

"It was B-"

"I don't wanna hear about it! Now get up off your asses and go back to camp. Get in your shelters and go to sleep. Piggy and the twins will take care of business and two girls are watching the fire tonight."

"Two girls? Which girls? You couldn't say their names."

"Shut up Lexy!"

"Can't you see Jack's pissed?"

"Now's not the time for this crap."

"Please don't be like Bosnia."

"Bosnia's stupid."

"Ahem, are you calling me stupid?"

At this point many of the kids were rambling versus each other again.

"Everybody shut up or else there's no sleep tonight!"

Silence.

"Y'all are making me sick with your stupidity. Go to camp, get your sleep and just shut up! Okay?"

Everyone stared at him and just sat there. Some of them twiddled their fingers while the others tried to look brave and bold. It was them versus him and they were beaten to the core.

"Are you deaf? Move it!"

All the kids got up and made a speedy race back to camp. None of them said a word. Even Jack's gang members who always hunted with him felt... belittled. His innate power and aggressive outbursts got the best of them.

Two little boys murmured and complained about not getting the chance to speak. Jack grabbed their wrists and dragged them back to camp without listening. Ralph watched everything as the crowd dispersed. He assumed they were thrown into a shelter nearby. Piggy tapped his shoulder.

"Assembly was not a success tonight," he said. "I'm very disappointed."

"It never will," Piggy replied. "No one is considerate these days."

"I still can't believe Bossy did that," Ralph said. "I'm worried this will happen to someone else."

"With worse results?"

"Don't mention it. Just don't, okay?"

Understanding how gruesome the thought could be, Piggy decided to leave the matter alone.

They were both the last to walk down the mountain.

x-x-x

Sherie and Heather were the only ones up there, keeping watch of the fire in case rescue arrived.

"I can't believe Bosnia would do that," Sherie began.

"I know," Heather replied. "That was very stupid of her. Say, did you see that mark on Simon's face?"

Sherie stared at the flames in front of her. She knew where the conversation would go if she followed Heather's lead.

"Yes, I saw it," she said. "But I must admit, assembly really sucks at this time of day."

"You mean at night?" Heather asked. "I know what you mean. Jack was giving us all threats the entire time. I never got the chance to say what I wanted because of that."

"You must've been scared," Sherie commented. "But I was scared too."

"Everybody was," Heather said. "You'd think he's a monster."

Sherie shuddered in her place. She looked around at her surroundings when Heather tossed two small sticks in the fire. They remained quiet for the rest of the night.


	9. Private Investigation

(09) Private Investigation

The next day had an unusual start. Instead of eating and playing, many of the little kids were talking about the 'beastie' again. They stood near the end of the beach in order to avoid the older kids from hearing.

"I swear its claws were long," Peter explained. "It roamed around our campsite again."

"Some sneaky monster that is," Mikey commented. "I wanna go home!"

"Me too!" Billy cried. "I want mommy and daddy!"

"Will it ever leave us alone?" Mikey asked.

"No," Peter replied, shuddering. "It keeps coming back no matter what."

"When will the others listen?" Rusty asked silently. He held up his chin in order to avoid nose bleeding again, the way Piggy had instructed. He didn't realize he was standing in the sun, which could easily aggravate more nosebleeds due to heat exposure.

"They never will," Rudy muttered. "All they do is assume the beastie is not real."

"But it really isn't!" Tyrick argued. "There's not enough proof that this beastie exists."

"Well, Ralph told us to shut up about it," Matt whimpered, coming close to tears again. "He's becoming mean like the others."

"He's supposed to be the leader," Rusty managed to say while squeezing his nose.

"So are you guys saying we'll be haunted forever?" Jenna asked with a shudder.

"Yeah, remember what Trishina told us before assembly?" Kyla asked.

All the little kids nodded simultaneously. They were told to avoid going up the mountain. The beast would pop out from behind the bushes and chase after them.

"When are we gonna be rescued?" Rashell asked.

"I hope tomorrow," Mindy said lowly.

"I say today!" Asia exclaimed.

All the little kids jumped doing the "Happy Happy, Joy Joy" style until Kelly approached them, having stolen a packet of Brenda's matches.

"Why don't we set up a signal fire?" she asked.

"We already have one going," Peter said. "The big guys are supposed to take care of that."

"Then let's make another one!" Billy beamed. "So that we'll get out of here in a snap!"

The rest of the little kids were taken up by their excitement as they ran up the mountain and grabbed wood and leaves that were found in their path. As long as the logs weren't too heavy, they went up in single file and dropped the logs near a burnt tree. They made a huge pile of sticks and stood around it.

"Um... How do we do this?" Kelly asked.

Peter shrugged. The rest of them looked puzzled.

None of them knew how to light matches!

"Let's get one of the big guys to light it," Jenna suggested.

"Good idea," said Rusty, "but make sure it's not one of the meanies."

As swift as a home run bat, the small group took his word for it. They already felt intimidated by the older kids' actions of superiority; it was starting to give them silent treatment. Being starved with no love from the kids they saw as parental figures makes them want to cry. Mikey was the first to shed a tear. It became a chain reaction as the rest of them broke down as well. It wasn't long before the sobs and sniffles became loud cries and wails. They forgot about their fire and stood there with each other, huddled up, wishing things were different.

x-x-x

The older kids weren't focused on their tasks this time. None of them were aware that the little kids are missing. Normally they'd be on the beach playing or sleeping in shelters as a result of laziness.

Pablo was searching for his 'club' members. Since there was no hunting today, it wouldn't be a bad idea if they had a swinging battle from the clubhouse.  
Or perhaps they can play a game of tag.

Deep down, Pablo knew exactly why Jack cancelled the hunt today. It was obvious he was still angry from last night's assembly. However, his anger did start from dealing with Tyrick's bad attitude. Not only did this make him feel good, but he also needed a break from being bossed around on the job. It was just... plain... annoying.

"What took you so long?" Tony asked. "We've waited here for minutes."

"Minutes?" Pablo asked. "You don't even have a watch."

"Never mind that," he replied. "Greg, Andy, Sheraton and I had an awesome idea."

"What's that?" the latter inquired.

"Wait till the others get here," he said. "That's when I'll reply."

"Okay."

They stood there for what seemed like forever until the rest of the group arrived at their meeting spot.

"What's going on?" Samneric asked.

"We're gonna go investigate this monster-"

"Monster my foot!" Larry snapped.

The rest of the kids peered at him. He's not even a member of their group.

"Um yeah... So as I was saying-"

"Monster my foot!" Larry interrupted. The other kids either groaned or rolled their eyes. It was obvious he's doing this on purpose.

"Larry," Greg spoke, "could you please do us a favour and leave?"

"Never!"

"You're making a fool of yourself," Samneric said.

"No I'm not! Let me stay! Keep me here!"

While he continued this pointless game of his, the rest of them resumed back to their discussion.

"Just ignore him," Tony said. "I really think it would be good if we can search for it."

"But it doesn't exist," Tex said.

"I know," he said, "but the littluns keep complaining about it. So maybe doing this will make them stop."

A murmur rushed through the group, then:

"Why don't we bring the younger ones along?" Gen asked.

The rest of the group smiled at the idea. It didn't sound bad at all. Perhaps that'll make a big change on the island.

For the worst.

Just then Simon appeared with a chameleon on his shoulder and a bunch of little kids behind him. He didn't bother to ask what was going on since he heard it from a distance.

"You're late," Greg said.

"Relax man," Sherie told him. "The main important thing is that everybody's here."

"Alright, but I suggest everybody hold a little hand like what Simon's doing."

Simon held red-eyed Peter's hand. The littlun has been crying very hard for the longest while.

"But what if they get even more scared?" Andy whispered in his ear, a hint of concern in his voice.

"Don't worry about it," Greg replied. "Their nightmares will stop."

They trotted up the pathway that was dominated by creepers. It got very annoying pushing them away every second... and barely hitting each other's faces while they're at it.

"What exactly are we supposed to do?" Ashley hollered from the back of the line, gripping tightly on Matt's hand.

"I wanna go home," he whimpered.

"When they see our signal," she assured him.

"Jack says we'll never be rescued," Peter told them.

"Don't listen to him," Simon said.

As soon as they reached very deep in the forest, they stopped in front of a hollow cave. It gave them an eerie feeling that they couldn't comprehend.

"Can we turn back?" Trishina asked. "This place is giving me the creeps."

"Then the brave ones can step inside," Pablo suggested. "All others stay out and wait."

"As if you're a brave person," Greg commented before getting a dap on his shoulder. Patterson twitched and held Simon's other hand.

"It's extremely dark in there," Patterson said nervously. "You'll need a flashlight."

Sherie and Heather dug in their pockets. Sherie turned her flashlight on but the fuse had already blown.

"Damn... how will this plan go smoothly if no one has a flashlight?"

"Use mine," Heather said. She always had a spare.

"Thanks." Just as she stepped closer to what looked like a cavern, she turned back and looked at the others.

"At least a few other people could follow me in," she said. "This place is already creepy."

Everybody nodded and approached her as she turned Heather's flashlight on. "I'm gonna need Tex, Greg, Sam, Eric and Trishina behind me," she said.

"What about me and the other two?" Tony asked, pointing to Andy and Sheraton. "We came up with this idea you know."

"Fine. The rest of you wait out here."

The selected kids stepped inside the cave, Sherie up front while the others kept close behind. It took ten seconds before they heard a growl. At first they thought it was their stomachs due to hunger, but when the sound grew louder and frequent they became frightened. They weren't aware of the strong, gale winds that blew with force at the branches outside. Their young ears were tricked by wild imaginations that will no longer be controlled in the future.

"Save yourself," Tex whispered in Sherie's ear.

"Shut up man," she replied jokingly, trying to lift up the mood. "It's just a giant toad."

Although there's no such thing as a giant toad, she pointed the light in 'its' direction. There was a green hand that moved, causing the kids to step back. It was followed by a low, loud moan that came like a taunt, rattling in their ears like snakes. Before anyone can say anything, the stinky, unidentified figure rose up and moaned horridly as it reached for them. In a split second the kids were out of there, running for their lives while protesting the existence of a monster. Some of them assumed it was a real ghost. This island could be haunted!

None of them knew it was the body of a dead parachutist that was moved by the wind inside the cave.

x-x-x

As soon as they made it back to camp, they made a shortcut to their clubhouse.

"I'm afraid my plan didn't go the way it should've," Tony said lowly, smoothing his dark hair.

"I know what you mean," Pablo replied. "That thing was... creepy."

"You weren't inside there with us," Trishina said.

"So? I heard it from where I stood. The others heard it too."

Trishina looked around and many of the kids who stood by earlier nodded their heads.

"I guess that means more nightmares for them," Greg assumed.

"But no one knows yet," said Heather. "I must admit, we gotta tell the others what y'all saw since not all of us went in there."

"I agree," said Gen.

"I really don't know what to say to this," Simon said. "All I know is that monsters don't exist. That's the truth."

"Then check that place out for yourself," Tex, wide-eyed, said nervously.

"That's not recommended," Greg said. "That thing can touch people."

"Let alone kill them."

Sam looked around. Most of the club members were sitting around, shaken up with horrid memories of the evidence they've found.

He nudged his twin brother.

"What's up?" asked Eric.

"Where's Ralph and the others?" Sam asked worriedly. "We've got to tell them about this monster."

Eric looked down and shook his head. "They're not gonna listen."

His twin brother lost courage too soon. "I guess it's hopeless," Sam concluded.

"Yeah," Eric said, "just hopeless."

x-x-x

Jack and his gang members were loitering in an area near the clubhouse. They weren't aware of it though. The only thing that mattered most to them was getting rid of the monster... whatever that was.

"Where is this monster?" Jack asked eagerly.

"I dunno," Steve said.

"But you saw it!" he snapped. "If it's anywhere close by we'll kill it and it won't come near us again."

"But I lost my jacket in there," he managed to explain.

"That's just sad," Rapper said lowly. "Now it has a jacket to stay warm. Perhaps it'll invade our camp at night when it's cold."

"We should move our camp!" Will panicked.

"And then it won't touch us anymore," Luke said.

Rapper shot a stern look at them. They weren't supposed to be scared of monsters; they're hunters! Hunters are strong and brave. They can destroy anything in their path.

Steve pulled his hair away from his eyes, utterly annoyed by their tactics. "I gotta go," he said lowly as he trotted away.

"Hey, he's leaving," Larry announced.

"Let him go," said Roger. "He's a total loser anyway. Hanging out with a bunch of ugly girls. Before you know it, he complains about cooties. What the hell."

The boys chuckled hard at his sarcastic comment and got back to business.

"What if he was gay?" Rapper asked.

"Don't mention it," the buff boy replied.

"Does anyone else know where the monster is?" Luke asked.

"Of course they do," Jack replied. "Since Steve refuses to tell us, I'm gonna make the rest of those losers talk."

"Excluding Pablo," the black boy said. "He's not stupid."

"Well of course not. Same thing for Greg and the twins. I feel sorry for the rest of them, though."

The boys were laughing very hard now. Their conversation took a turn to gossip.

"We should give them a makeover for being cool," Will added, trying to catch his breath.

"That'll teach them to quit drooling all over this island with their ugliness," Roger commented. "They're a disease."

"Yeah seriously!" Luke exclaimed. "We're men! We should be the ones in charge!"

"How is that supposed to work?" Rapper asked apprehensively. "I mean, last night's incident with Bossy."

"We'll test the waters and see which girls are cool enough," Jack said. "Besides, Mandy's an idiot! And Raps, don't let Bossy boss you around. You should be in charge of her."

"Makes sense," the black boy replied.

"Lexy and Brenda need to get a life," Will added. "I think we should start hitting them."

"Stupid idea buddy," his friend said, "I liked what happened last time, though."

"With Sherie?"

"Yes," Rapper replied with a grin. "That was so funny."

"And you forgot to laugh," Luke interjected. "Shame on you!"

"Um, guys," Larry said, pushing his blond hair out of his eyes. "How did our convo get here all of a sudden?"

"We hate spoiled brats," Jack said, ignoring him. "Therefore we should make them suffer."

"A recipe for revenge," Roger chimed in. "What should it be?"

"I've got it all figured out," he said.

"So how are we gonna do this?" Will asked anxiously.

"Just bear with me on this one, okay?"

The boys nodded in agreement.

"I've noticed a bunch of flaws from our fire watchers last night," Jack stated. "So for their punishment, I'm gonna make sure they watch it again!"

"That's a splendid idea," Roger said. "They won't get any sleep."

"Then they won't get us annoyed in the daytime!" Rapper exclaimed, jumping in Luke's arms.

Jack smiled at his devious plan. He'll tell Ralph every lie he could think of. Once the girls become tired and stressed out, they'll be out of the way. What makes this plan even better is that they won't get any of their chores done. The boys will eventually complain about the girls' laziness, and perhaps, only then will they see who's boss.

x-x-x

"I don't wanna watch fire tonight!" Sherie argued against Ralph. "You can't make me!"

"But no one else is willing to do so," Ralph explained. "Besides, someone said they saw a plane pass but one person grabbing their attention is not enough."

"Well, tell that person to do better next time," she said. "You're chief."

"How dare you talk to Ralph like that!" Piggy snapped. "You have no right to say things like that."

She looked at Piggy and her small eyes narrowed.

"Sorry, I already did. And you're redundant, mind you."

"Excuse me?"

"There's too many excuses," she said. "I'm too tired to watch the fire this time. Make someone else do it. Someone who hardly sleeps."

Ralph looked at five other boys from a distance before facing her.

"I really don't know how to tell you this," he said. "The other girls are too lazy to watch it, and the boys will take care of it next week."

"Why don't we watch it?" asked Samneric.

"You guys don't have till next week."

"Aw man," Sam groaned. "It would be easier."

"Yeah. It'll stop all the trouble," Eric added.

"They got a point, Ralph," Sherie said. "I can't watch the fire tonight."

"Don't let her manipulate you," Piggy whispered in his ear. He knew that some girls have a way of pushing people into things that they would surely regret, and that's what Sherie was trying to do with Ralph. He wasn't going to let that happen.

"On another note, why does Piggy always have the last word?" she interrogated.

"The girls haven't finished their turn yet," Ralph explained, refusing to answer her question.

"Then why don't-"

"-we watch it-"

"-with her?"

Sherie smiled at the twins. She was about to go ahead and use their idea, but Ralph shook his head.

"You're supposed to find a female partner," Piggy spoke.

Sherie crossed her arms and looked around from where she stood. Her sister Gen was still ticked off from Piggy's rational attitude. Her best friend Heather was too tired and already went to sleep. Lexy and Brenda were hated with a passion, Mandy is too cocky, Trishina and Ashley were lazy, and Bosnia became the "talk of the town". She didn't know who to pick.

"Just let the twins come along with me," she said. "Besides, you said the other girls aren't willing to watch it, so there's none I could pick."

"Why don't you let Lexy come along?"

"She's dumb."

"Brenda?"

"We're not friends anymore."

"But-"

"No 'buts' Piggy. You've wasted my time. Thanks anyway."

Frustrated, she turned her back on them.

'Why the hell does there have to be boys here?' she asked inwardly. 'Especially these ones! They're so freakin' annoying! Coming from military to act like a bunch of brats... Aaarrrghh! I knew this would happen!'

Taken up with her thoughts, she stormed off while pulling her hair. She was utterly unhappy that she had to watch the fire again. This time she had no one to talk to, so that made matters worse. Samneric would've followed, but Ralph (or Piggy) would not allow it. She pulled her journal out from under her black T-shirt and pulled her pen out of her pocket when she came across a family photo. She stared at it for a while before writing in another blank page about all the things that annoy her on this island, and how she wished she was home again. She could hear the ocean splash against the boulders, as though its current agreed with her. As she stared at the night sky, which had only seven stars up there, she wondered whether or not they'll respond to her wishes.

One of these days, they will.

* * *

A/N: Just so you all know, this update is not official. It's a major revamp I did when I found out that some chapters could've ended differently. I've also noticed some of them were _extremely_ long - didn't want to put that stress on anyone, so I've done some trimming here and there. I care that much about it's length, and where to cut. Some of the titles were way too bland in my opinion, so I've changed them as well. Anyways, the next chapter (which will be an official update) will be posted soon. Take care!


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